New playground opens at Lake Accotink
Children have a new place to play at Lake Accotink Park. A new playground was officially opened on Nov. 2 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new playground has a tall climbing structure, a long twisty slide, musical features, a playhouse, dragonfly seesaw, large net for climbing, and a double swing allowing a parent to ride with their child.
The old playground, built in 1995, was closed late last year when an inspector identified broken and rusted parts that could pose a danger to kids, said Braddock Supervisor James Walkinshaw. The manufacturer had gone out of business, and the county couldn’t find replacement parts.
The Board of Supervisors then allocated $300,000 from its third-quarter budget adjustment for a new playground.
“As soon as we found out the playground was closed, we went about replacing it,” said Board Chair Jeffrey McKay. “These parks matter. We wanted to get it done for this season.”
Installing a new playground as quickly as possible “sends a message that we are serious about continuing to invest in this park,” McKay said. “Lake Accotink Park is a crown jewel in the park system.”
The playground is next to the carousel, which is closed for the season. It will undergo some repairs and reopen in the spring.
Related story: New task force will review options for the future of Lake Accotink
In addition to McKay and Walkinshaw, the ribbon-cutting was attended by Supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield), Park Authority Director Jai Cole, and Park Board Chair Kiel Stone (Braddock).
“Lake Accotink Park is a crown jewel in the park system.”
But we don’t plan to save the lake….it will only cost 400k to re name it accotink swamp
Re-arranging chairs on the Titanic… This is a “pat on the head” from politicians and county staff who lack the energy and guts to do the right things to save the Lake… Never mind the population of homeless living in Lake Accotink park… Yup- that’s really happening … but hey county staff managed to raise her finger enough to finally click “buy” on that playground equipment after decades of inaction.