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Resources for the Madison Community
Madison stands with the families of Abundant Life community. This page is dedicated to connecting victims and the broader community to resources and accurate information about the tragic events that happened on December 16.
Kennedy Park Playground Improvements
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 will be held at the below date. At this meeting staff will present two playground concepts 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.
View past project updates »Project Details
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.
- Park Playground Input Process
- Kennedy Park Breakout Room Presentation
- Kennedy Park Workshop Highlights
PUBLIC INPUT MEETING #2
Date and time to be determined. Staff will present project plans for review and input.
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.