Previous plans to demolish Heritage Park, following a negative report on the playground’s structural integrity, have been placed on hold, according to a statement from the City of Sapulpa.
- Get caught up: Sapulpa’s award-winning “Heritage Park” is going to be torn down.
Lucy Lawson, the Communications Coordinator, first broke the news on Sapulpa Times’ Timeloop Live show on Friday morning.
“We had reached out to the manufacturer of the park and had them come out and give an inspection and let us know what it would take to refurbish and update,” she said. “They told us there is no refurbishing or updating it—it just has to go.”
“Our Parks Board and everyone (at the City) kind of took this at face value and said ‘okay, it’s sad, but it is what it is and this is the future of Heritage Park,'” she said.
Meanwhile, when Sapulpa Times broke that story, there was an outcry from the public, as well as a vocal willingness to assist in the repairs if needed.
After seeing the public’s response, Lawson said the City decided to take another look and explore every available option.
“We brought out not one, not two, but three completely separate structural engineers, and what they told us is that structurally the park will not fall down, but it does need repairs,” she said.
The revelation was enough to put the plans to demolish the park on hold. “I won’t say it’s completely off the table,” she said, “but it is on hold.”
City staff will continue their daily inspections, and in the meantime, children are welcome to enjoy the playground while the City and Parks Department work to secure grants for ongoing maintenance needed to keep the park in use.
Lawson did caution, however, that the money will have to come from somewhere outside the current city budget, though they’re hopeful that they’ll be able to secure the funding, either privately or through a grant program.
“We are working toward the repair of the park instead of working toward the teardown of the park. That I can assure you.”
Watch the full episode here:
