This is the second in a two-part package on the evolution of West Bridge Park. Last week’s article delved into improvements currently underway there, including landscaping, sustainable features, terraced seating and more.
READ PART ONE HERE
MONTICELLO — While Monticello’s West Bridge Park holds appeal for all ages, with adults enjoying the festivals, community events and recreation opportunities there — from the fishing pier to the basketball court and the Minnesota River Trail passing through — the riverfront property holds a different draw for the younger set.
For kids, it’s all about the playground, where they can swing, slide, climb and carouse to their hearts’ content.
Now, with a major revamp of the park in the works, there are also plans to add a new and improved, expanded playground that would serve children of all ages and abilities, helping to further boost West Bridge’s allure as a recreation destination.
“We want to build a playground that’s a regional resource for our community,” said Monticello Parks, Arts, & Recreation Director Tom Pawelk. “It will be something unique. We have design elements to make it different that will make people want to come to our play structure.”
But building the playground will take another kind of resource — money — with state aid requested to help cover the $700,000 price tag, in addition to a generous donation from the local Lions Club, along with contributions from the city.
Once this funding is secured, the plan is to make it both bigger and better. “It will be the biggest playground in the city when it’s finished,” Pawelk said.
The one-of-a-kind play structure would incorporate a river theme, scrapping the current steamboat style for something a little fishier, highlighting aquatic animals — which also meshes with the fish-mosaic artwork that has already begun swimming into the city.
“We want to tie the river to the playground,” Pawelk said. “We’re incorporating ideas that come out of the river. There will be a big fish that’s a climber for the kids. The playground surfacing will reflect some of the organic materials that are down there. It’s going to tie a lot of those elements together from the river.”
Community feedback
Plans for the new playground also take into account feedback from community members on what they want.
“People wanted to see a zipline,” Pawelk said. “There’s going to be two, an ADA-compliant one and a regular one. They want rubber surfacing instead of wood chips. More swings, a bigger slide, wheel-chair accessibility.”
These are just some of the elements the project would incorporate based on data gathered during a comprehensive needs assessment conducted in 2022-23 that looked specifically at parks, arts and recreation.
The study’s analysis of recreational trends found that 42% of respondents chose playground equipment as a top amenity to focus on over the next five to 10 years.
In addition to the assessment, which was led by Bolton & Menk, Pawelk and his staff have sought feedback on a more direct level as well, by asking park users in person.
“The last three years, we’ve engaged the community each time we have large events down at the park,” Pawelk said. “What we wanted to know is what people want to see out of the improvements at West Bridge Park. There’s things people really love about the park now and things they want to see in the future. We were able to put together a comprehensive list.”
One thing they found is that color is important.
“The No. 1 thing that the community wanted to see is that it retains the blue-colored playground equipment, because that’s how the kids identify it.”
It turns out that, when children ask their parents to take them to the playground, they don’t necessarily know the name of the park, but they do know what color the equipment is.
“Our big community parks have colors. Pioneer Park has more green than anything else. The kids identify the parks not by the name, but by the color more than anything,” Pawelk said.
Connectivity was another thing that folks want to see in the city’s parks, and much care was taken to incorporate that, with more access points to get into the park and into the playground.
Once finished, there will be five different ways to get into the park, including a unique ADA-compliant entrance that will lead directly into the play space.
“A cool thing that we have is access coming right off of Walnut Street that will funnel people in wheelchairs straight into the playground,” Pawelk said.
The parks chief is proud of how thoroughly the upgrades will serve those of all abilities, including disabled individuals.
“I think having a playground in our community that everyone feels welcome to, that’s the most exciting thing for me,” he said. “There’s no barriers, it provides opportunities for all kids.”
The new playground would also aim to hit a larger age range.
“Our two main age groups are 2 to 5 and 5 to 12,” Pawelk said. “We’re adding more stuff for 7 to 12 year olds. For the older kids, there’s going to be more for them to do than any other playground that we have.”
This will include ziplines, more climbers and challenging items, along with a taller play structure, he said.
The focus on inclusivity also extends to language, Pawelk said, with bilingual instructions for the play equipment provided in both Spanish and English.
Surrounding the play area will be additional landscape block seating and a new concrete sidewalk, known as a hardscape, with additional pathways leading off of that. That work is currently underway.
Contingent on funding
It’s an ambitious project, and one that comes with a hefty price tag.
“The installation cost of the new playground is estimated to be $677,000, which includes rubber surfacing,” Pawelk said.
To help cover this cost, the Monticello Lions Club has committed $250,000 toward the playground, after starting a “Project of Significance” account for West Bridge Park.
“The Lions were looking to put dollars toward something for the community,” Pawelk said. “They wanted a legacy project.”
Lions member Wes Olson explained the group takes money raised from events, such as Brewfest, and puts those proceeds back into the community for the betterment of Monticello.
“We hope that we can work with the City of Monticello and complete that playground for the children,” Olson said.
For the remainder of the playground project, Pawelk is seeking a $350,000 grant from the state, and the city would cover the remaining balance of approximately $100,000.
The City of Monticello has already invested about $200,000 for the other work at West Bridge, including the sidewalks, hardscaping, landscaping and other upgrades to the park edge along River Street.
It won’t be known until later this month if the state has approved the grant request.
If the total funds needed are secured this July, as is hoped, then installation would likely occur in the spring of 2025.
“We would try to install it as soon as possible and have it ready for the community,” Pawelk said.
If the grant does not come through, there are still options to make the playground a reality.
“If we don’t receive that money, we can still move forward without the state funding, as the council can put money toward it in the budget,” he said.
He explained it would be up to the City Council to decide if they wish to go forward with the project using municipal funds.
“If the grant fails, the City Council will be in the 2025 budget cycle and, at that point, they can decide if they want to push it off for a later date or go through with it,” Pawelk said. “There’s options.”
He said there’s also a possibility that the state could come through with a smaller grant, offering a portion of the requested funds. “It’s not alway just a ‘no’ with some of these requests,” he said. “The state could give part of the request.”
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Pawelk is determined to make the playground come to fruition.
“It’s a community project, and I’m very creative when it comes to the funding and getting people involved,” he said. “The Lions are looking forward to it, and I think the community is looking forward to the park improvements.”
Whatever may happen, there will continue to be a playground at West Bridge Park, Pawelk said, explaining that, until funding is secured, the old playground will remain in place.
“We’re working around the old playground right now,” he said. “We’re building the playground surround this year to accommodate whatever may happen. We’re setting things up to work with both the old and the new stuff. It’ll all fit together.”
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