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New playground equipment and a nature trail could be coming to several underutilized parks in Springfield next year.
The National Trail Parks and Recreation District is considering a plan tospend up to $45,000 on playground equipment for New Reid and Cortland Leland Parks and the Eagle City Soccer Complex. The district could also spend another $8,000 developing a nature trail at a site in Northern Estates.
District staff will seek input from neighbors in those areas before making any final decisions, but wanted to have the money in place if the community wants the playgrounds installed, said Leann Castillo, NTPRD Director .
“We don’t want to put something (in those areas) and the community say ‘We don’t want that there,’” Castillo said.
Cortland Leland Park has a small blacktop basketball court, but nothing else, Castillo said.
“It’s literally grass in the middle of these homes,” Castillo said.
New Reid Park previously had playground equipment, including the former rocket slide, which was removed years ago due to safety concerns, Castillo said.
“It’s a highly-used shelter and would be used more if there was playground equipment,” Castillo said.
The Eagle City Road Soccer Complex has a shelter, but needs a playground to help with families who have multiple children during soccer games, Castillo said.
“It would give the smaller children something to do,” she said.
The district owns a piece of land in Northern Estates and wants to create a walking path for neighbors. The district performed similar projects recently at both the Rebert Pike Nature Park, which opened last spring, and the Buck Creek Nature Park, which is expected to open this spring.
“There’s a lot of kids in the neighborhood and I think it would be a great addition to the neighborhood,” Castillo said.
The parks won’t be a destination like the newly-installed Centennial Playground at Snyder Park, but something smaller for the neighbors to use, Castillo said. There are several options for the equipment, Castillo said, which includes installation once purchased, she said.
“We would try to find when we have the best prices that we can purchase these with to get the most for our money,” Castillo said.
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