Out with the old, in with the new

If you’ve driven past Maytag Park or walked through the park lately, you might have noticed something different — the playground has been remodeled and the children love it.

Late last summer, the City of Newton and volunteers removed the long withstanding Maytag Park playground equipment and replaced it with an entirely new set of safe and inclusive equipment for children of all ages.

The Newton Park Board selected a new playground design by Boland Recreation, a design company from Marshalltown, to improve the park’s experience for families in town. It was approved by the Newton City Council and by the end of July, the playground was ready for use.

The new Maytag Park playground fits the same space and location but all the equipment is now new.

The playground has two components, a large structure for 2- to 5-year-olds on the east side of the playground and another for 5- to 12-year-olds on the west side. On the structures is a total of seven slides and 12 climbers attached to playground decks.

In addition, there are 14 freestanding items like a spinner, jax web and a rock climber located throughout the playground, which give children many options and lots of activity. There is also a large swing set in the center of the playground.

Some benches, as well as two sand diggers and small swing-set, were left for additional options. Those withstanding pieces are located in the area for younger children.

Both the park board and Boland liked how the previous park had many unique freestanding items located throughout. They both also liked the concept of having two separate large playground structures for different ages, younger children and older children.

Newton resident Andy Breuer is the father of three children, two 8-year-olds and an 18 month old. He is excited to use the park because of the diversity of new equipment that accommodates different age groups.

“It will be nice having a small area here for the smaller kids and as well a larger area for the larger kids on the other end and a nice set of swings in the middle so we can see all the kids from both sides,” Breuer said.

Breuer is also a member of a parks organization called Friends of Newton Parks that helped with the new equipment installation. The installation and volunteer supervision came from a privately contracted company working with Boland.

The Newton Park Board had four goals in mind with choosing the most appropriate playground for Maytag Park: meet budget requirement, provide maximum entertainment, match the natural atmosphere of the park environment, and provide a safe and accessible playground to Newton residents and children.

The new playground has a total of 20 ground level items that meet American Disabilities Association guidelines.

The playground and project cost $92,000 and included equipment, delivery, surfacing and installation supervision. The board had a budget of $100,000.

Contact Kate Malott at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or at kmalott@newtondailynews.com.