Mason’s Rayner Park to be torn down and rebuilt

MASON, Mich. (WLNS) – Rayner Park, one of the last wooden parks in mid-Michigan, built in 1993, is set to be demolished and replaced. This comes after concerns about the park’s maintenance and safety, as the city says it was only expected to last 20 years.

“So I grew up in Mason just down the road,” said Rachael Feskorn, a local resident. “We came here as a family all the time to play. We’d go catch frogs in the pond.”

Feskorn’s family spent many days at Rayner Park and even helped raise money for it. Tuesday, she stopped by to see the play area one last time and pick up her family’s fence post.

She says the park holds a lot of memories for her. Now, working as a special education teacher, Feskorn takes her students there to enjoy it themselves.

Dozens of families have already gone by to pick up their engraved fence posts. One woman stopped by to take a steering wheel from on the play structure, saying she wanted a little piece of the park to take home for her daughter.

The final decision to demolish Rayner Park comes after heavy debate in the community.

After an evaluation, the City of Mason said the original materials were no longer safe, citing studies that the wood preservative could be releasing arsenic.

“I see a lot of arguments that we need this new park because this last one hasn’t been upkept,” said one Mason resident in a recent city council meeting. “My question is, why?!”

Others sided with the city, saying that the park only recently became Mason’s property. It used to be run by the county.

Although the wooden structure won’t be the same, many are looking forward to the new park, which the city says includes more accessibility features.

“Seeing that there’s a park in Mason that could be more inclusive for my students and for individuals in wheelchairs, I think is really exciting,” said Feskorn.

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