Volunteers race to complete Dream Playground

PORT ANGELES — As the hours ticked closer to Sunday afternoon, it was becoming obvious that completing the project on time was going to be difficult.

A shortage of volunteer workers for the Generation II Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield could derail plans to finish everything today within the six days that had been hoped for.

But Steve Methner, president of the Dream Playground Foundation, said Saturday that he was cautiously optimistic that the lion’s share of the project would be done by 5 p.m.

“I think we have a really good shot of making it, at least with all the important build components, as long as we keep volunteers coming through today and tomorrow,” he said Saturday morning.

Methner put out a public plea on Friday — as he had done in the days leading up to the build — for volunteers to show up on Saturday and Sunday to get the major pieces of the playground done.

“I think we have a reasonable chance of making it, but we do need a lot of help,” he said. “All hands on deck for sure.”

On Saturday morning, dozens of volunteers swarmed over the site of the new playground, located on the footprint of the original Dream Playground, which was razed in March.

The sound of saws, drills, hammers and construction machinery, along with rock music from a small public address system, filled the air around the site. Pieces of the yet-to-be-installed play equipment lay staged around the construction zone.

While expressing confidence that the major work would be done by Sunday evening, Methner said he was prepared to go past the six-day goal to insure that the playground would be top notch.

“If we don’t make it, we’ll just have to mop up over the next few weeks,” he said. “It will get done, one way or the other.”

The contingency plan is to gather a smaller group of volunteers to take care of punch list items, Methner said. The biggest deadline is still weeks away, when a contractor arrives to install the artificial turf that will surround the play structures.

The major components will have to be in place before that can happen.

Methner speculated that the shortage of volunteers with Generation II may have been attributed to the lack of novelty with a second playground.

“When you rebuild, it’s exciting, but maybe not quite as exciting as doing it the first time was, 19 years ago,” he said. “But we have a whole lot of dedicated folks that are putting in a lot of hours.”

The new version of the playground replaces an older version that was also built with volunteer labor in 2002. That project was done within its six-day goal.

Corey Delikat, Port Angeles Parks and Recreation director and ex officio board member of the Dream Playground Foundation, said it was hoped at the time that the old playground would last for 20 to 25 years, but despite regular maintenance, the wooden structure was starting to deteriorate.

Additionally, parents had become concerned about the lack of clear sight lines, making it impossible for them to keep watch over their children at all times, Delikat said.

The wood chip play surface at the old playground also raised fears that drug paraphernalia could be hidden underneath for children to discover — a fear that had been realized on several occasions when hypodermic needles were found within the chips.

Plans were developed in 2020 to replace the original Dream Playground with a newer version that addressed safety and maintenance concerns. And like its predecessor, Generation II was designed from suggestions for features desired by Port Angeles school children.

The looming deadline did little to dampen the spirits of volunteers toiling away in the summer sun on Saturday. Happy-but-determined faces abounded.

“This is a really fun community effort,” said volunteer Carmen Geyer. “Its amazing to see what everyone has been able to accomplish together.

“I think that we’ll get it all done. It may take a little more people, but everyone’s coming together the best we can.”

Volunteer Jaycie Wakefield was helping to set fence posts on Friday with a team of United Way of Clallam County members. She said she wanted to show her pride in the project by sponsoring a picket that would adorn a fence surrounding the playground.

“It’s really an amazing thing to be a part of,” she said. “I’m going to get a picket with my kids’ names on it so we can come back to the park in 20 years and say ‘I helped build it.’”

Delikat said the playground was certain to be a valuable asset to the community.

“We’ve raised more than $700,000 for the project, and if you look at all the volunteers, even prior to this project, (are worth) probably well over $100,000, if not $200,000. So this is a million dollar playground.”

Dream Playground Foundation board member Tim Tucker took time out from playground construction earlier this week to talk about the project.

“This will be something that will be part of our community for decades to come,” he said.

“It’s a gift for a city worth giving to.”

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Photojournalist Keith Thorpe can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 59050, or at photos@peninsuladailynews.com.