Minnetonka, Minnesota, a suburb of Minneapolis, saved thousands of dollars and restored a community playground at Mayflower Park with the help of GameTime and Minnesota/Wisconsin Playground, the exclusive GameTime agency for playground and recreation solutions in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Originally designed and installed in 1996, the playground at Mayflower Park transformed a vacant lot into a community gathering place. The vibrant colors of the playground equipment earned Mayflower the nickname of “Rainbow Park” and local families visited the park so frequently that the park was often overflowing with children playing.
After 17 years, the City of Minnetonka decided to replace the playground equipment to accommodate even more children and to give families a new and exciting way to play. The City’s Park and Recreation budget was tight so community leaders turned to GameTime and Minnesota/Wisconsin for a solution.
“The steel posts that support the play structure were in excellent shape,” said Harlan Lehman, President of Minnesota/Wisconsin Playground. “These posts carry a lifetime warranty from GameTime so we decided to recycle them, keeping them out of the local landfill and saving the city a significant amount of money.”
By recycling the posts, the City avoided the cost of new materials and installation and supported their sustainability initiatives. The recycling solution kept hundreds of pounds of steel out of the landfill and saved the City of Minnetonka over $15,000.
Minnesota/Wisconsin Playground designed a new play structure using the original posts, adding new climbers, slides, bridges and more. They made the playground more accessible according to new ADA guidelines and added ground level play activities for children of all abilities.
Today, the City of Minnetonka has a new playground at “Rainbow Park” that is more fun, more accessible and more green than ever before.
About GameTime: GameTime has been a pioneer in commercial playground equipment since 1929 with a commitment to enriching childhood through play. GameTime combines the vast wealth of research and intellectual resources of our parent company PlayCore with an unmatched distribution network to lead the industry with innovative products, programs and play environments that inspire a child's imagination and promote health and wellness for future generations.
