Sapulpa’s Heritage Park has been closed to the public after a new safety concern revealed how badly portions of the aging wooden playground have deteriorated.
The closure comes after the City of Sapulpa unsuccessfully sought grant funding that officials hoped would allow them to begin repairing the popular playground.
“A few months ago, we closed it, and we thought it was going to be temporary,” Sapulpa Parks and Recreation Director Susan Bencke told Sapulpa Times. “The city applied for a grant. We were really, really hopeful with that grant.”
Although the grant would not have provided enough money to completely rebuild the playground, Bencke said it would have allowed the city to replace a significant portion of it and provide “seed money” for additional work.
“We didn’t get the grant,” she said.
PHOTOS: See a gallery of photos of Heritage Park.
The situation became more urgent during a recent inspection, when parks employees discovered a deteriorated section inside one of the playground’s towers. The wood holding the screws for one of the walls had disintegrated to the point that the wall was no longer securely attached.
Bencke said an older child, teenager or adult could have pushed against the wall and caused it to come down.
“At that point, we put the gates up, we locked it, and we said, ‘Okay, it’s locked. What do we want to do?’” she said.
The park will now remain closed, and visitors are being asked not to enter the fenced playground—even to take photographs.
“Please respect that we have it locked for safety reasons, and we don’t want folks in here,” Bencke said. Those wishing to document the park before it is removed may take photos from outside the gate.
Heritage Park’s future has been uncertain since a 2024 assessment found significant deterioration in parts of the structure. The destination playground was built in 2005 as a massive community project involving more than 1,700 volunteers. Its design includes replicas and references to several Sapulpa landmarks, including Liberty Glass, the TeePee Drive-In and Egan Bros. General Store.
In October 2025, city officials said the playground had reached the end of its useful life and would need to be demolished. An estimate at the time placed the cost of a complete replacement at more than $450,000, even with volunteer labor. Sapulpa Times
Those plans were placed on hold in February after a strong public response prompted the city to seek additional opinions. Three structural engineers determined the park was not in immediate danger of collapsing, although it still required repairs and continued inspections. City officials said they would seek grants or private funding to keep it open.
Bencke said the city cannot continue operating the playground while waiting indefinitely for another funding opportunity. The same grant program will not reopen for applications for several months, and money would not be awarded for approximately another year.
“We can’t just keep it open on hopes and prayers, waiting for a grant to come through,” she said.
Attention is now turning toward raising money for a completely new playground rather than continuing to replace individual boards and other deteriorated components.
The Sapulpa Park Friends Foundation, the Parks Department’s nonprofit arm, is working to establish a way for residents and businesses to make donations specifically for Heritage Park. Bencke said the city also wants to hear from residents about what made the existing park special and what they would like to see incorporated into its eventual replacement.
“What is it about Heritage Park that you love?” she asked. “It’s not the screws. Probably it’s not the bolts. It’s the memories that we have out here.”
Residents are encouraged to send the Parks Department their memories, photographs and ideas for the property. That feedback could help identify the features and themes the community most wants carried into a new playground.
“It’s sad. We’re going to miss this park,” Bencke said. “But it’s time. How do we move forward? How do we make a new facility for new generations to climb and play and explore in that still has the heart of Sapulpa in it? We don’t want to lose that.”
Watch the full interview with Bencke on YouTube: