Northbrook Park District Celebrates Playground Replacement Project at Cedar Lane Tot Lot

Following several months of construction, the playground at Cedar Lane Tot Lot, 965 Cedar Lane, Northbrook, is now open for play! Northbrook Park District is celebrating the community's newest playground with a Pop Up Playground Party on Wednesday, August 10 starting at 5:00pm. This free event will include a ribbon cutting ceremony at 5:15pm, giveaways and refreshments while supplies last, a prize drawing and family activities in the park.

Renovations at the park include a new playground featuring two play structures for ages 2-5 and 5-12 along with the addition of a synthetic turf play surface to replace the wood chips. The new surface is antimicrobial and provides increased drainage, more consistent shock absorbency performance, and consistent accessibility while decreasing the labor and costs associated with wood chip maintenance. The new turf will also incorporate T°Cool, a premium infill designed to absorb and release moisture throughout the day to cool the turf.

Playground equipment was selected by members of the neighborhood who received an initial survey to determine priorities for the park followed by an invitation to vote for one of two final playground designs. Northbrook Park District broke ground on the playground replacement project in May, at which time Kids Around the World removed the old equipment for placement in a yet to be determined under-resourced area to provide play structures for children in need. This removal process is completed at no charge to the District, saving time and money.

"We are so excited to offer this new playground to the community as part of our overall playground replacement plan," said Chris Leiner, Director of Parks and Properties. "Through strategic long-range planning, the District is able to balance the life expectancy of equipment with capital dollar availability to offer a comprehensive playground system to the community."

With community input, the District completed and adopted a ten-year Comprehensive Master Plan which includes an annual Capital Improvement Plan. These documents forecast repair and replacement needs for parks, facilities and equipment each year. The former playground at Cedar Lane was installed in 2004 and, at 18 years of age, had approached the end of its life cycle. Cedar Lane Tot Lot is the first of two playground replacement projects taking place in 2022. The new playground at Meadowhill Park is currently under construction with an opening planned for later this summer.

For more information about District Projects, visit nbparks.org/projects.

Established in 1927, Northbrook Park District's Mission is to enhance the community by providing outstanding services, parks and facilities through environmental, social and financial stewardship.