Heritage Park will remain a park and playground, and rumors that the city plans to turn the property into a parking lot for the Christmas Chute are “simply not true,” Sapulpa City Manager Joan Riley said.
Riley answered Sapulpa Times’ questions by email Oct. 6, the day after a city study session where the park was discussed. She said the city did discuss whether the park’s restrooms might be useful during an event, but they may be too far away.
What a new park will look like is uncertain because “nothing has been planned to date,” she said. “Our intention is for it to remain a park/playground.”
Riley said she first plans to speak with the Park Board and Park Friends committees. After that, the city will bring together residents and people with construction backgrounds to create a plan for the park’s future.
“It is simply too early to add any more detail about it currently,” Riley said. “I can assure you that public input will be included.”
In an email Oct. 20, Riley said demolition is scheduled to begin soon. The city will preserve the park’s swings, pavilion, picnic tables and bathrooms during this phase, she said.
“Updated picnic tables, improved ground cover, and fresh sod will help keep the area welcoming and functional while we design the next chapter for the park,” Riley said in the email. “There’s a growing sense of excitement as we begin imagining what this space can become.”
Riley also responded to residents who believe the city failed to maintain the park. The structure was built as part of American Heritage Bank’s 100-year anniversary celebration through a community “Big Build,” and city records show it was expected to last about 18 years, she said. It is now 21 years old.
AHB deeded the park to the city with a 10-year maintenance endowment of $3,000 a year for upkeep by the original design company, Leathers and Associates. When that ended, the Parks Department took over maintenance, Riley said.
“It’s understandable that some residents may feel the park wasn’t cared for properly,” she said. Staff replaced slats, boards and damaged components and secured areas that were repeatedly vandalized, she said, but the main posts and foundation were raw wood that rotted from the inside out.
“Once the structural integrity failed, no amount of surface repair could stop the deterioration,” Riley said.
The Parks Department has five employees responsible for more than 943 acres across a dozen parks. Riley said she hopes to hire a dedicated Park Facilities Manager in early 2027 to oversee playgrounds, buildings and long-term replacement planning.
Sapulpa Times reported earlier this month that the playground would stay closed for good after the city missed out on a grant it hoped would replace much of the structure and parks employees found a tower wall that was no longer securely attached. The playground was built in 2005 by more than 1,700 volunteers. Parks and Recreation Director Susan Bencke said the Sapulpa Park Friends Foundation is setting up a way to donate for Heritage Park and asked residents to share memories and ideas for a replacement.