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Parks

Kennedy Park Playground Improvements

January 31, 2025 Update

Option B takes it by popular vote for the 5-12 age range equipment!  Thanks to all who attended the meetings and submitted their vote for the preferred equipment to be installed at the park in 2025.  Onward to the site design phase!

View past project updates »

Project Details

  • Location

    • Kennedy Park
      5202 Retana Dr
      Madison, WI 53714

  • Status

    Planning

  • Estimated Schedule

    –

  • Impact

    Minor

  • Alder District

    District 3

Kennedy Park

Project Information

The City of Madison Parks Division is replacing the playground at Kennedy Park in 2025!

PUBLIC INPUT MEETING #1 - PLAYGROUND WORKSHOP

Thursday, December 5, 2024 at 6:00pm via Zoom

Parks staff presented an overview of the playground replacement program and ask for input on design decisions during break-out sessions specific to each park location. 

PUBLIC INPUT MEETING #2

Thursday, January 15 at 6PM via Zoom

Background on Madison Playgrounds

The City of Madison currently owns and maintains approximately 180 playgrounds across the park system. This does not include most school playgrounds, which are owned and maintained by MMSD. The 180 playgrounds equates to 7 per 10,000 residents, consistently placing Madison within the "Top 10" on the Trust for Public Land’s (TPL) annual rating of the 100 largest municipal parks systems in the nation.  Madison Parks is certainly proud of this ranking, but such a sizable system of playgrounds means that there are significant costs to develop and maintain the system in a safe and accessible manner.

In the 1990’s there was a significant reinvestment in playgrounds to move away from wood structures, which were inaccessible, towards equipment that was safer and met ADA guidelines. During this time, the primary surfacing selected for installation was crumb rubber and/or pea gravel. By 2012, there was a significant need to reinvest in our playgrounds again as many were reaching the end of their useful life at similar times. This led to the Parks Division working collaboratively with Alders, the Mayor, and the Board of Park Commissioners to establish a programmatic approach to the replacement of over 120 of the playgrounds over the next decade beginning in 2013. The Council adopted RES-13-00034, Legistar 27854, in January 2013. This called on the Parks Division to develop a replacement program that prioritized playgrounds based on safety, age and condition in a fair and equitable manner. The program was to include a standard playground equipment package, prioritized yearly capital budget plan for the replacements and equitable guidelines that would allow for neighborhoods to contribute financially to the project.

Additional history and information on the playground process can be found in this letter from Parks Superintendent Eric Knepp to All Alders on July 28, 2020.

Project Updates

January 31, 2025 Update

Option B takes it by popular vote for the 5-12 age range equipment!  Thanks to all who attended the meetings and submitted their vote for the preferred equipment to be installed at the park in 2025.  Onward to the site design phase!

January 16, 2025 Update

The City of Madison Parks Division held two meetings to discuss the playground improvements at Kennedy Park.

The first public meeting was a playground workshop held with four other neighborhoods on December 5, 2024 online via Zoom. At this meeting City staff presented the Madison Parks playground input process, provided background on Madison’s playgrounds, and sought input from the neighborhood on individual park playgrounds.

The second public meeting was a neighborhood playground meeting held on January 15, 2025 also online via Zoom. At this meeting staff presented two playground designs for each of the age ranges to be installed at Kennedy: 2-5 and 5-12 from the manufacturers chosen during the breakout room session from the workshop.  Parks staff also reviewed some of the decisions previously discussed during the workshop for meeting two attendees who were not able to attend the first session. Attendees selected their preferred design for the 2-5 age range equipment from preferred manufacturer Burke (local vendor Lee Recreation) and asked for some modifications to one of the proposals from Gametime (vendor MWP).  Parks staff will obtain a revised Option B/2 proposal from Gametime and share the options via email with all those who have either registered for a meeting or contacted staff to express interest in the project.

The new playground equipment will be installed in 2025.

December 6, 2024 Update

YOU’RE INVITED TO A PUBLIC MEETING 

FOR KENNEDY PARK PLAYGROUND

The City of Madison Parks Division is improving the playground at Kennedy Park and we want your input.

The first opportunity for input from the neighborhood was a playground workshop held with four other neighborhoods on December 5, 2024 via Zoom. At this meeting City staff presented the Madison Parks playground input process, provided background on Madison’s playgrounds, and sought input from the neighborhood on each individual park playground.

The second meeting was held at the below date. At this meeting staff presented two playground concepts for 2-5 and 5-12 age-range equipment (since Kennedy will be receiving both as a community level park in the system) based on feedback received at the playground workshop.

PUBLIC INPUT MEETING #2

Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 6:00 pm

Online via Zoom – Register Here

The new playground equipment is anticipated to be installed in 2025.

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