Elgin unveils new Lords Park playground equipment

Keeping her eyes on one child coming down a purple slide while another climbed wide, metal stairs and a third crossed a 6-foot-high bridge, Debbie Weiman still had time to share how she felt about the new playground at Lords Park.

"We love, love, love this park!" Weiman said,

Weiman, a teacher at nearby Bethlehem Child Development Center, said she had been bringing kids to the playground for almost 20 years.

She gushed about the new play equipment and the "sound sculpture" musical area, but she saved her biggest praise for what was beneath her feet.

"This squishy, bouncy AstroTurf is wonderful," she said, adding the park used to have sand.

The Elgin Parks and Recreation Department recently debuted the Play On! playground, replacing old equipment on the grounds between the Elgin Public Museum and the bison pen.

The Play On! research-based playground is focused on active play and gathering user data through feedback from residents who can scan a QR code at the park.

"This is an exciting new playground at one of our most premier and popular parks," said Parks and Recreation Director Maria Cumpata.

The play environment is research-based, and a sign posted at the playground with a QR code intends to gather regular user feedback through a linked survey. The survey, available in English and Spanish, engages the community and helps PlayCore, the playground vendor, and the city better understand park playground usage and satisfaction with the equipment.

Once the first 50 survey responses are submitted, the city will begin receiving regular feedback on the playground's usage and enjoyment.

Superintendent of Parks and Facilities Greg Hulke said the feedback they get will inform decisions on future park enhancements.

"Having the ability to gather data and use it to inform equipment selections is incredibly valuable," he said.

The Elgin Parks and Recreation Department was awarded $40,000 in matching funds from the Illinois Park and Recreation Association for the playground replacement. City spokesperson Molly Gillespie said the grant funds enabled the city to develop a larger, more robust replacement playground for the historic, regional park.

Play On!, by PlayCore, is a standards-based physical education program that promotes overall fitness, learning and fun on the playground, according to their website. The concept is an effort to help combat childhood obesity by focusing on physical fitness with what are considered to be the six essential elements of play - balancing, spinning, sliding, climbing, swinging and brachiating, or swinging from hold to hold with arms.