New Wesselman Park playground to open this spring in Evansville

EVANSVILLE — Officials broke ground on a new play area at Wesselman Park on Monday morning, with construction set to begin immediately.

Danielle Crooks, the city's new executive director for its Parks and Recreation Department, said there has been "diligent" work over the past year with Play Pros (a playground equipment company) and architectural firm Morley to get the work going.

The playground is anticipated to open in the spring. The new playground is a part of the Wesselman Park master plan, and is being funded through American Rescue Plan dollars at $1.3 million.

Crooks said the playground will be have a nature theme and will feature accessibility-focused equipment and materials.

"The entire playground will be placed on a forever lawn turf surface, the first of its specific kind in Evansville," she said.

Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry thanked the previous city administration for getting them to this point during her remarks at Monday's groundbreaking.

Terry said it's time for a refresh, noting the current Wesselman playground was installed with the help of the Junior League in the 1990s.

"Advancements in both equipment and playground design have allowed us to create a space that children and adults alike will be able to enjoy," Terry said.

"The addition of this playground is a big step toward renewed focus on inclusion in our Parks and Recreation spaces," Terry said. "This is the first new playground for Parks and Recreation since Mickey's Kingdom opened back in 2018."

This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: New Wesselman Park playground to open this spring