Sorry, kids. The Cal Anderson Park playground is closed for construction.

It might seem cruel that, just as the weather has turned warm and summery, the play area at the busy park is fenced off but Seattle Parks says the schedule for the project is necessary as part of the cost savings from bundling the work with a contract covering other parks work in the city.

This feels like such a “f*ck you” to kids in cap hill. Right as the weather turns nice, @CityofSeattle puts up a fence around cal anderson’s only playground and then does nothing to it for months. pic.twitter.com/etqVDnkAxL

— Aaron (@aronjaay) May 24, 2023

CHS reported here in January on the plans in Cal Anderson to “replace the aging play equipment and repair/replace the play area surfacing” with new play equipment that “will meet current national safety standards and assure accessibility to children of all abilities, ages 2-5 and 5-12.” Access to the play area will also be improved to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The $250,000 project was bundled with an overhaul of two other parks play areas at the West Arboretum Tot Lot and at Soundview Terrace under contractor LW Sundstrom.

Seattle Parks has not provided an estimate for how long the Cal Anderson work will take but you can watch for updates on the project here.

The work comes as the Seattle Department of Transportation and the parks department are also trying to figure out how to save sidewalk around the park from damage from dozens of maple trees lining the public space — while also saving the trees.

It also comes amid renewed efforts to address nighttime safety in the park, especially along the eastern edge and Nagle Place where an advocacy group says drug dealing is at the root of recurring violence including the shooting there earlier this month that left two brothers dead.

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