New Playground Coming to Yogi Bear Park in Grayslake

The Grayslake Community Park District used community feedback to select the new playground design for Yogi Bear Park (1195 Popes Creek Circle, Grayslake).

The Grayslake Park District tries to replace at least one playground every year, depending on available funds. Yogi Bear Park is next on the playground replacement schedule the district uses as a guide to prioritize replacement of the 23 playgrounds in its park inventory.

When it came time to select a new playground for Yogi Bear Park, the Grayslake Park District turned to the community for feedback. The Grayslake Park District conducted an online survey to collect community preferences on the two design options being considered. The survey included design renderings and aerial views of the two playground options - referred to as Option 1 and Option 2.

A majority of residents who completed the survey preferred Playground Design Option 1. The Grayslake Community Park District Board of Commissioners used the community preferences gathered in the survey to inform their decision on what playground equipment to purchase. On Wednesday, November 20, 2019 the Board of Commissioners voted to approve the purchase of Playground Design Option 1 for Yogi Bear Park.

The new playground will include an Expression Swing, a special swing that promotes inter-generational play by having seats for an adult and child to face each other while swinging. Also, the playground will include a Sensory Wave Spinning Seat, a fun and exciting freestanding play activity for children of all abilities.

The playground equipment for Yogi Bear Park will be partially funded through a $48,000 grant from GameTime. The Park District purchases playground equipment in the fall to save money by taking advantage of grants from companies trying to clear out inventory. The new playground equipment is expected to be installed in spring 2020.