New Playground Equipment for City and Meadowlark Parks in Casper

Due to cracking, the City of Casper is replacing existing playground equipment at City and Meadowlark Parks by next spring using One Cent dollars.

Per a press release, the City has budgeted $150,000 of One Cent funds to replace the aging playground equipment at City Park, located on South Wolcott between Seventh and Eighth Streets. The existing equipment, originally installed in 1999, is showing signs of wear and cracking. They say playground equipment typically has an expected lifespan of 20 to 25 years, depending on frequency of use, weather, vandalism and other factors.

Since older children have access to the Park School playground outside of school hours and several nearby daycares regularly visit City Park, the City opted for playground equipment catered to a younger audience, including a “Tot Lot” as well as fencing to help prevent children from wandering onto the adjacent busy streets. “As we consider these upgrades, we always want to better serve the citizens who use them,” Parks Supervisor Jim Gerhart said. The City will also be adding a large shelter for a covered gathering space.

Meadowlark Park, between Partridge Lane and Meadowlark Drive, was originally equipped in 1990 and is also set to receive upgrades with a budget of $120,000 of One Cent funds. The existing playground equipment is experiencing similar issues to those at City Park, including cracking, and needs replaced. Though Meadowlark Park equipment is older than the City Park structures, lower use volume resulted in a longer lifespan.

Installation at both parks is scheduled for early 2024 and should be completed by May. The city says that according to a 2022 survey, 90% of respondents listed parks, playgrounds, and trails as important. While there are older playground structures at other parks, they find City and Meadowlark Parks have the most significant cracking, but they plan to progressively replace existing older equipment over the coming years.

The Rotary Club of Casper was a generous and important supporter of both projects, donating $75,000.