By Dennis Box

The Courier-Herald

For anyone who loves toys, Cedarview Park was the place to be Saturday.

More than 20 volunteers, city staff, city council members and employees from Northwest Play Equipment, an Issaquah company, gathered at the park to assemble new playground equipment purchased by the city.

Cedarview Park is located at the intersection of 208th Avenue East and 93rd Street East.

The Cedarview Homeowners Association donated the five-acre park to the city last year. The city agreed to improve and maintain the park.

According to Assistant Public Works Director Gary Leaf the city has improved the storm water drainage in the park and cleaned up the area.

The City Council budgeted $50,000 for the playground equipment. Leaf estimated at least $12,000 has been saved through volunteer efforts and another $10,000 through a competitive bid to bring the project within the allotted amount.

"We really want the association to feel like they are getting something out of this deal," Leaf said. "The volunteers are really making this work."

Art Pipkin, a Bonney Lake resident, helped build the swing set among other jobs at the site.

"My daughter Susie plays here," Pipkin said. "This is really going to be a nice park for the kids."

Councilman Phil De Leo helped organize the volunteer effort along with Deputy Mayor Dan Swatman and Councilman Mark Hamilton.

Leaf stated the project would take two days to assemble. Wood chips will be placed on the ground as soft material to help protect the kids.

Dennis Box can be reached at dbox@courierherald.com.