The new Frontier Park Playground, made possible by Graham students and community members, will open on Tuesday, July 10 with a celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony beginning at 6 p.m.

The remodeled playground is 5,800 square feet and features slides, talk tubes, a tunnel, overhead ladders, bridges, crow’s nest, swings, climbing wall, and more. It also includes recycled rubber surfacing and ramps for wheelchair accessibility.

“Frontier Park is one of our most beloved parks,” said Recreation Superintendent Scott Hall. “Children and families in the Graham area have been waiting for the opening of the new playground with great anticipation. Pierce County Parks & Recreation Services is excited about replacing the aged playground equipment with a new ADA accessible playground with a rubberized surface.”

Frontier Park’s original play equipment was installed in 1985. In September 2009, the aging play structures were removed because it was out of compliance with national safety standards.

In January 2010 students from Mr. Bob Hansler’s 5th grade class at Kapowsin Elementary School spearheaded the community’s efforts to help raise funds to replace the equipment with a new playground that could be used by children and families of all abilities. The “Big Toy Team” was created by Sara Lamrouex, the mother of a student in Mr. Hansler’s class.

The team held fundraising events including a spaghetti feed and worked with state representatives and other community groups to raise money for a new playground. Pierce County Parks and Recreation Services received a matching grant from the Washington State Recreation Conservation Office.

“Private donations and a grant from the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office provided half of the funding for this project. This is a true testament of partnerships between local community groups and government.” Hall Said.