BOCA RATON – The wait to experience Boca Raton’s new science playground is almost over, park officials say.
Visitors to Sugar Sand Park at 300 S. Military Trail will have access to the playground Nov. 19 after about eight months of construction and an anticipated $1.8 million in project fees.
Since March, the Lakeland-based construction company NuJak has renovated the four-story playground structure to be accessible for children of all abilities. Crews reinforced or replaced aging wood, swapped mulch for a rubber surface and built new ramps, railings and balusters.
The new materials will require less maintenance and will make the playground safer for the roughly 50,000 visitors it draws each year, said Briann Harms, the district’s assistant director. Parents will have an unobstructed view of their children playing all throughout the structure.
The playground was originally built by volunteers in 1995. The Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District closed the playground in June 2015, citing issues with safety and accessibility for the disabled.
Under the latest timeline, approved by the district this week, there will be no community involvement in the renovation of the playground. The district cut the volunteer component from the plans “to get ahead of schedule and maintain the safety standards of the playground,” Harms said.
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by: Emily Miller, Contact Reporter, Sun Sentinel