The Twin Lakes Playground will be home to construction workers this summer.
The cleanup of the playground, which was set ablaze April 24, will begin this month, according to the City and Borough of Juneau. A chain-link fence now surrounds the site to forbid access, and cleanup contractors with hazardous material-resistant suits and air filters will soon begin to clean the area up.
With gasses still emanating from the debris, the contractors will need protection, but the air quality will continue to be monitored to keep the area safe for people who visit other parts of Twin Lakes.
This is the first phase of a rebuild project that is expected to take until late next summer. A steering committee of several community members has met multiple times already, and plans on asking children, parents and others in Juneau about what they would like to see in the new playground. Construction of the new playground is expected to begin next spring.
Since the playground burned down, donations have come from all over the borough and the state, as the Juneau Community Foundation has received around $150,000 so far. The CBJ’s insurance company will pay to rebuild the playground similar to what it looked like before it burned, but if the city decides to make changes to the original design it will depend on those fundraising dollars.
Project Playground Committee Chair Mike Goldstein expects to set a fundraising goal after the committee talks to members of the public, but the cost for additional improvements are expected to exceed $250,000, according to the CBJ. Previously, the city estimated that the community would have to raise the $100,000 for the deductible, but the CBJ’s Risk Management Fund will cover the $100,000 deductible on the insurance.
The donation money will go toward the expansion of the playground, as well as improvements to safety and accessibility. With the way the playground went up in flames so quickly, many in the community are concerned about keeping the next playground as fire-resistant as possible.
“We’ve already heard several ideas from community members,” Goldstein said in a release, “about wanting fire retardant materials, better ADA accessible ground cover, modifying the structures or expanding the footprint.”
The steering committee involves multiple members (including Goldstein) who were involved in the initial building of the playground, which was completed in 2007. About $500,000 in donations fueled that effort, as well as thousands of volunteers. The committee is once again looking to coordinate volunteer and fundraising efforts, building a website (goprojectplayground.org) and a Facebook page (Project Playground Twin Lakes) for the project in recent weeks where prospective volunteers go to learn more.
• Contact reporter Alex McCarthy at alex.mccarthy@juneauempire.com or 523-2271.
