People interested in the upgrade of Riverfront Park’s playground will have a chance to look at design plans and information and give feedback to the city. At an open house Saturday, April 12, the city is inviting the Salem community to be involved in the design process for the 26-year-old playg round which is set to be replaced in 2026. It will be held at the Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. S.E., in the Anderson Rooms from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The new playground is being designed to increase safety and accessibility for park visitors. Riverfront Park is the most popular of Salem’s city parks. “We want to make sure that most children are able to use most things and can interact with other children in a way that it won’t even be relevant that they have a disability,” Rob Romanek, a city parks planning manager told Salem Reporter last September. “It doesn’t matter what your abilities are, you are able to engage with other children, and socialize and have fun, and play on the cool stuff on the playground. There’s not just one or two elements and that’s it. Most things will be available to you.” The upgraded playground could include an accessible merry-go-round, a quiet eagle’s nest like area for children with autism and a wheelchair accessible route to the top of the play structure, according to the city website. The playground could also include a new turf hill for rolling. The new plan also includes added shade trees and an area for picnics next to the playground. Last September, the city received a $770,000 grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department for the project. The entire project is expected to cost $1.8 million. The city will pay the remaining $1.1 million from its 2022 voter-approved infrastructure bond and city parks system development charges, which are fees paid by developers to support infrastructure. The open house in April will give people the chance to see design plans for the playground, learn more information about the project and make suggestions. The event will be April 12 at the Salem Public Library, 585 Liberty St. S.E., in the Anderson Rooms from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Contact reporter Madeleine Moore: madeleine@salemreporter.com. A MOMENT MORE, PLEASE– If you found this story useful, consider subscribing to Salem Reporter if you don’t already. Work such as this, done by local professionals, depends on community support from subscribers. Please take a moment and sign up now – easy and secure: SUBSCRIBE. The post City invites public feedback for initial design of upgraded Riverfront Park playground appeared first on Salem Reporter. ...read more read less