What kind of playground can you get for $550,000?

One recent morning, a batch of young children from two home-based day cares followed their leaders like ducklings to the Kids Castle playground at Deerpath Park in Vernon Hills.

Wendy Konstant of Konstant Karing, and Lisa Henderson, who runs Tynee Tykes, brought 16 of their charges from Grayslake after seeing the themed playground on the Little Lake County website.

"We are always looking for cool parks," Henderson said of her first visit. "This is all about imaginary play," she added. "This is why we came."

Indeed, the old wooden structure with its varying levels and nooks and crannies has been a favorite since it opened in 1997. But its time is short-lived. Demolition is scheduled for October and its replacement is planned to be a supersized destination with an array of new features and an equally impressive $550,000 price tag.

"They don't build wood structures like this anymore," said Jeff Fougerousse, executive director of the Vernon Hills Park District. Playgrounds are replaced every 15 to 18 years, he added, and maintenance, vandalism and even issues with bees nesting in the wood are among the reasons a replacement was due, he said.

But the price is such that the district is seeking corporate sponsorships, with a logo on play apparatus offered for a $25,000 donation. And, neighborhood resident Amy Lamberti is building community support by distributing fliers and selling paver bricks for up to $300 each as part of an effort to raise $200,000 in private and public funding.

"It's coming and guess what? You can be part of it," she said of her promotional effort. "It really truly is a community playground." Volunteers can register at www.tinyurl.com/vhkidscastle.

The new version of the Kids Castle will be about seven times the cost of an average playground, and at 10,000 square feet, about five times the size. The footprint of the new version will be about the same size as the old but unlike the current structure, will be fully accessible to children with disabilities.

"Everybody will be able to use it," said Rick Bieterman, a representative for equipment supplier Nu Toys Leisure Products Inc.

About $200,000 of the cost is for the poured-in-place surface, according to Fougerousse.

The rubberized flooring absorbs shock and will be as thick as five inches in some places depending on the height of the equipment in the area, Bieterman said. He described it as similar to a running track at a high school but thicker to minimize injuries.

Besides the modular castle design, many climbing, sliding, gliding and other special features likely will not have been experienced before by kids who will play there, he added.

For example, a Zip Krooz is a 34-foot gliding amenity that allows a user to go from one end to the other or rebound back toward the start. The Turbo Twister Slide is 12 feet tall, completely enclosed and full of internal twists and turns.

"The park district heard what the kids wanted too, and built that into the blueprint. This, in my mind, is the kids' voice," Lamberti said.

There also is an intangible aspect Lamberti has vowed to uphold. The original Kids' Castle was designed, named and built with the help of hundreds of volunteers and students in a remarkable show of community spirit. More than 6,000 volunteer hours were needed to complete the planning alone.

Residents and businesses contributed $139,000 in cash, as well labor, materials and services. The playground was built in a single week by thousands of volunteers working 15 hours a day, and the effort in 1998 won the Illinois Governor's Hometown Award,

"It's really a treasure and a landmark people hold dear in their hearts," said Lamberti, who has lived about eight years in the kid-heavy neighborhood. "There's a sentimental value behind this park we need to hold true to. The kids love it because it's unique, but you can tell it's time," to be replaced.

Day care provider Henderson said she'll be back.

"We love it and we can't wait for the new stuff," she said as the kids finished their initial visit.

But many, like nanny Bobbie Musial who brought five kids to the park, are bittersweet.

"I grew up going to parks like this," the Mundelein resident said. "It's unfortunate they're changing something this unique."