Considering all of the attractions in Carson Park – the baseball stadium, the trains, the two museums, the fishing spots and horseshoe pits – it’s easy for some of us to forget that the park is also home to one of the Chippewa Valley’s biggest and best playgrounds. Those of us who are either small children or the parents of small children, however, don’t forget: We know that just beyond the big parking lot next to the baseball stadium you’ll find a wonderland of climbing, sliding, and swinging opportunities (not to mention those super-long tube slides).

This equipment is far older than the kiddos who clamber all over it; in fact, it’s nearing its 30th year, making it about as old as many of the parents keeping a watchful eye from the nearby benches. While it’s still safe – parents will be happy to know the city routinely inspects playground gear – it’s not getting any younger, notes Todd Chwala, the city’s parks, forestry, and cemeteries superintendent. “It’s reached its life expectancy, and replacement parts are difficult to find,” he explains. (Parents whose knees and backs ache after an afternoon at the playground can probably empathize.)

That’s why the city’s proposed 2017 budget includes $512,000 to replace the equipment in Carson Park. If that spending is approved by the Eau Claire City Council – which will likely vote on the budget in November – the parks department will pursue the project next year. But officials won’t just be replacing the equipment. Instead, they’ll also be examining the overall design of the playground and looking at how to adjust for the flow of people in and around the area. If a redesign is deemed necessary, a public input process will be launched, Chwala says. In other words, the city may soon be looking for advice from parents (and kids!) about how it can reimagine the play area – so stay tuned. Overall, the project will probably take about two years.

The proposed city budget also includes $100,000 to create a playground at Pinehurst Park on Eau Claire’s north side. While the park offers lots of recreational opportunities in the winter (sledding, snowboarding, and skiing among them) and at other times of year with mountain bike trails, it doesn’t have a playground. As the park becomes more popular with neighborhood residents and people from around the Valley alike, demand for a playground has grown. If the spending is approved, Chwala expects that about half of the $100,000 will be used for site preparation and surfacing while the other half will be used for playground equipment.