Butler Children’s Park, near the corner of Broadway and Halstead streets, will soon have a new all-inclusive playground that boasts all sorts and styles of play equipment atop a green rubberized surface.
The all-inclusive playground has been in the works since 2018 when the city council approved a three-phase plan to enhance Butler Children’s Park. The city Parks and Recreation Department is in the midst of the third and last phase of construction.
Parks and Recreation Director Mike Davis said a special committee of community representatives in June chose the all-inclusive playground equipment that will be installed.
Phase three of the plan includes adding 37 new parking spots, new fall protection surfacing, new workout equipment and construction of an all-inclusive playground — one of a few such playgrounds within several hundred miles.
In January, the West Plains City Council approved a $289,991 bid from Play and Park Structures, of Chattanooga, Tenn., for the equipment and materials to complete the playground. During the meeting in which the bid was approved, city Community Services Director Todd Shanks said the company put together a great proposal and has a successful track record of working with parks departments across the state.
“We are excited to begin working with them as they start the design process for the next phase of the park,” he said at the time.
Staff then had the public vote via social media poll on June 13 for the color scheme for the equipment, offering the choice of red and black or red and blue. The winning result, announced Tuesday morning, was the red and blue scheme.
The city council met in regular session that evening and heard bids for equipment and materials to complete the the final stage of upgrades at Butler Children’s Park.
The council selected bids from West Plains businesses Indian Creek Materials for gravel and Stewart-Morrison Redi-Mix for concrete. City Purchasing Agent Jeff Shipley said the gravel and concrete will be used to construct trails and accessible playground equipment at Butler Children’s Park.
The $289,991 bid from Play and Park Structures was one of four bids received for the design and build of the accessible playground equipment.
The lowest bid came from Fry & Associates, of Kansas City, with a proposal of $282,500. Shipley said the city had used Fry for playground equipment in the past, but had difficulties getting replacements for broken parts.
Play and Park Structures had the next lowest proposal, Shipley said. That company’s bid was unanimously approved.
West Plains Community Services Director Todd Shanks said the city has never purchased playground equipment from the company before, but it made the strongest proposal.
