Othello’s new Iron Horse Playground Adventure Park - a must see!
September 5, 2024
By: Katherine Trowbridge
Photos of some of the fun attractions at Othello’s newly installed Iron Horse Payground Advenuture... be sure to go check it out with your family!
While society deems Labor Day the end of summer, there are still plenty more summer days ahead of us. Summer officially ends on September 22, when fall officially arrives. That said, there is plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors, around school schedules for those with kids in school.
Our area provides a vast amount of things to explore from parks and playgrounds to recreational areas. Lyons Ferry State Park, our State Waterfall, and Windust (just outside of Kahlotus) are great spots to check out if you've never been.
Local parks of interest can include Howard Amon Park (Richland), Connell's Pioneer Park, and Othello's Lions Park.
Othello recently completed the transformation of Lions Park into an outdoor community playground. While the park incorporated a really great skatepark years back, the playground continued to be stuck in the early 1960's. Discussions for renovating the playground began back in 2019 and were led by a mom of a disabled child who wished to have a place where all kids could play. From early on, the community was actively involved in the design process, creating an inclusive and enjoyable playground for the community.
The city’s grant writer, Sarah Montemayor stated, “The whole goal of the playground was to obviously make it more accessible and a safe playground for children of all abilities. That’s why we used the recycled rubber surfacing on it. So that is basically shredded up tires that makes up that surface.”
The soft surface that covers the base of the play area provides a soft landing pad and a bouncy walking surface. Accessible playground equipment was also incorporated into the design.
In 2020, the City of Othello received grant funding of $1.1 million to cover the cost of the playground through the State Recreation Conservation Office through the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, along with capital appropriation funds through local legislators. As the pandemic hit, the project was delayed and the community was finally able to come together to celebrate earlier this summer with the grand opening of the Iron Horse Playground Adventure.
A separate grant through RCO provided updated basketball courts for the park, which were also completed this year. The park went from two to four basketball courts and the community utilized them for their Fourth of July festivities with three on three tournaments.
Montemayor explained that the playground has different levels from tiny children/babies all the way up to the older children. “There’s a musical aspect in the playground, wheelchair accessibility too,” she said.
A sidewalk encircles the playground providing an area for parents to walk laps around the playground while having a full view of their children playing. The city also added in adult workout equipment periodically along the sidewalk area. You can get a workout all while being able to see your children.
The Iron Horse Playground Adventure is truly that, an adventure that incorporates Othello’s railroad and farming history into the design. From climbing equipment shaped like trains to a slide in the shape of a barn, the history of the community is reflected. The playground has tire swings, whirligigs, rocking horses, multiple slides, marimbas, climbing bars, and a rock climbing wall. Tunnels and signs highlight local history as well as bring an educational aspect to the playground.
Kids we spoke with shared that they enjoyed the whirligigs and tire swings.
Lions Park is just the beginning, Montemayor shared that they have applied for other grants to redo the playground at Kiwanis Park, which won’t be as big but will also have accessibility features. A splash pad is also in the works for Kiwanis Park which will be installed next year. Their walking trails are also being updated throughout the city.
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