A ceremony to turn the first sod at Orange Adventure Playground has officially marked the start of work to upgrade the popular recreation facility.
Orange Mayor Jason Hamling and Orange City Council Sport and Recreation Policy Committee Chair Tammy Greenhalgh turned a sod to kick off the $2.4 million first stage of the upgrade.
Funding for stage one has come from three NSW Government grants and Orange City Council:
- $1.256 million – NSW Government’s Resources for Regions Program
- $400,000 – NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund (splash park)
- $485,280 – NSW Government’s Places to Play Grant
- $ 292,506 – Orange City Council
Cr Hamling thanked the NSW Government for its generous support of the project.
“The original Adventure Playground has served the families of Orange and the region for more than 20 years, attracting an average of 400 visitors a day. The time has come to give it a revamp,” Cr Hamling said.
Due to the deteriorating condition of the playground, stage one of the project will focus on dismantling the old playground and upgrading the main play areas and central meeting area, as well as the installation of a splash park. It will be carried out by Daracon Landscaping.
Cr Greenhalgh was excited to see the ageing facility receive a facelift.
“I’m looking forward to getting on with the job of providing a play space that can be enjoyed by local and visiting families for many years to come,” Cr Greenhalgh said.
Orange City Council and design consultants Civille Pty Ltd conducted three rounds of community consultation on the project, which included online surveys, face-to-face consultation at the playground and meetings with a ‘co-design’ group made up of interested members of the community and Councillors.
In total, almost 4000 people visited the YourSay Orange page to read about the project, 458 people completed a survey or shared an idea on the site and more than 250 people attended face-to-face consultation at the playground.
That feedback fed into the design which will include a large central play structure, a splash park and separate areas to cater for different age groups.
Parts of the original playground that are suitable for reuse have been included in the new design, including the Liberty Swing, wooden turrets and other timber features.
Fence pickets engraved with the names of residents who donated to the original playground will be available for collection once they have been removed. Council will advise the community on the process for this when the time comes. Any pickets not collected and in suitable condition will be reused in the new playground.
The Adventure Playground will be closed to the public while the upgrade takes place. Depending on weather, the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year.
