Rockmart youth and their families will be happy to hear that progress is being made on the playground at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex, but it’s not quite ready for the kids to start jumping, crawling, sliding just yet.
Unfortunately for the kids, their patience will have to be stretched just a little bit more for the time being.
City officials noted to Polk Today on Tuesday afternoon following a Facebook post updating progress that they are happy with the progress on the playground being constructed at Nathan Dean, but that inspections and some additional work are still needed before they can call the project fully complete.
Update to add: the city also added there is more equipment to install as well at the new playground. What is on site currently is not the full installation. -KtE
Getting mulch down around the playground is just one of the items still left, along with building a American with Disabilities Act-compliant trail to the playground from the parking area.
This new playground replaces the wooden structure brought down in 2022 due to safety concerns. It had been closed due to those same concerns and costly repairs needed to the structure.
Instead, the city decided to move forward with a replacement plan that saw contractors out in recent weeks preparing the space, waiting for a delivery of materials and now the new structures are nearly complete.
The City posted the following on their Facebook page on Tuesday:
Playground Progress Update!
We know how excited the community is about the new playground. We are asking the community to please continue to be patient during the installation phase. We do not want anyone getting hurt on equipment that has not been completely installed and inspected. The play equipment is not ready to be enjoyed just yet. Equipment must be fully installed, mulch laid, and an inspection must be done before we can reopen the playground. Once a final inspection has been made, we will make an announcement for the opening date, which will be soon! Thank you for your continued patience!
The initial plan from the city was to purchase the equipment and have volunteers help putting up the equipment as they did with the previous playground two decades ago, but the timetable for completion would have meant a whole summer without the opportunity for youth to enjoy the space.
Officials are hopeful (weather pending) they can open the space up to the public before month’s end.
Check back for updates as they become available.
