HARRISONBURG, Va. (ROCKTOWN NOW) – Harrisonburg’s Kids Castle Playground at Purcell Park is getting a major upgrade, with the design led by The Friendly City’s children.
The community can view playground design renderings and new play area additions at a public engagement meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Harrisonburg City Hall Council Chambers. A presentation will start at 6 p.m., followed by an opportunity for community members to speak with the design team and Harrisonburg Parks & Rec staff about the new destination playground.
Design teams created renderings of the new play structure and amenities based on input from hundreds of community members during the Purcell Park Master Plan process in 2019-2020, before COVID-19 delayed the project. The design team had plenty of inspiration to design the perfect recreation area with drawings from local children and more than 1,000 survey responses.
“We are thrilled with how designs for the new Kids Castle have turned out, because they have captured the best of both worlds – being respectful of the unique design our community has come to love while creating something completely new using the ideas of our community members and local students,” Harrisonburg Parks & Rec Director Brian Mancini said. “Kids Castle has always been a one-of-a-kind playground, so we wanted to make sure this new playground keeps that spirit alive.”
Work on the new Kids Castle Playground is set to begin this fall. More information on the construction timeline will be provided to the community when available.
The Kids Castle replacement is one of six Harrisonburg Parks & Rec projects selected for American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending by Harrisonburg City Council. Other recreation-related projects include creating a Splashpad at Ralph Sampson Park, adding lights and restrooms to Smithland Athletic Complex, improvements for an adult athletic field at Thomas Harrison Middle School and replacing the Westover Park Skatepark.
Find information on City ARPA projects and their timeline at https://harrisonburgva.gov/ARPA. Follow Harrisonburg Parks & Rec at https://www.facebook.com/harrisonburgparksandrecreation for updates on the Kids Castle Playground project and other ongoing recreation projects.
