Richardson’s Heights Park playground flies into history

by Andrew Laska of Richardson Echo

RICHARDSON — Deconstruction of the Heights Space Age playground happened on Monday. Many people were on hand with many learning of it from stories in the Echo and other media outlets. Many people arrived hearing of its demise only that day. (Click here for pictures.

Many people were sad including several crying mothers. Many had heard about the playground's demise either that day or the previous weekend. Many criticized the city's handling of tight lipped information. The city announced that the equipment would come out the week of July 14 but didn't say what day.

Other than spectators, no city officials other than a few park employees and the contractors hired to remove it were present.

Richardson Mayor Steve Mitchell left a post on D Magazine's Frontburner blog today stating , "I really appreciate the opinions and concerns expressed about the Heights Park playground. As a child, I, too, played on these very playground pieces, and understand the significant symbolization that they hold for our city. Given safety concerns and required federal ADA compliance standards, we have had to take the difficult steps to repurpose the rocket ship and other playground equipment. We have taken numerous months to examine this issue, which includes the work of a task force made up of residents near the park. The good news is that the playground equipment will be preserved and reintroduced back into the Heights Park in the near future as art or icons per our park master plan. Meanwhile, we are designing a replacement playground that will only enhance the play value."

This writer was on the task force that helped make a recommendation to the city council. Not even I was informed the rocket and the iconic pieces were being removed on Monday. In fact, some of the information in the earlier Dallas Morning News story and some information I squeezed out of park employees was news to this member of the task force.

News crews swarmed around and tried to get the best shot. Of course they swarmed around families with each trying to get the best emotional angle on the story.

When the rocket was finally lowered with a crane onto the flatbed there was applause and a few watering eyes.

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Anonymous

Mike Orren says:

Mayor Mitchell speaks:

My family moved to Richardson in 1965, and I have many great memories of playing on the rocket ship and other playground equipment in Heights Park throughout my childhood. I know that many others have the same fond memories. The playground at Heights Park has become a part of our community identity, and we take the current changes to the playground very seriously.

As a community, we have examined this issue for many months, and even brought together a task force, comprised of interested residents, to examine the preservation of the rocket ship and other playground pieces, exhausting all possibilities and probabilities. The task force examined the playground from many different angles, including safety, playability, accessibility, and the historical and cultural aspects. A national playground expert identified numerous safety and federal ADA (Americans with Disability Act) non-compliance issues at the playground. The City simply can’t put children at risk by ignoring these findings. Details about the issues at the playground and other research conducted by the task force are available on the City’s website at www.cor.net.

So our history, culture, and our identity can remain in the park, the rocket ship and other playground pieces need to be preserved and repurposed. The recently completed master plan for Heights Park includes, among numerous improvements, the reintroduction of the rocket ship and other playground equipment as pieces of art or icons in the park. The playground pieces are currently being safely stored, so that when we make large scale improvements in Heights Park, they can be reintroduced.

We know that kids are interested in a unique place to play, and the City is in the process of designing the replacement Heights Park playground with the goal of exceeding the current play value found at Heights Park. To accomplish this, we have hired one of the leading playground designers in the United States. The installation of the new playground, once it is designed, will be expedited.

Our goal is that we move forward for the safety of our kids, while we preserve and celebrate our past. While we would have preferred to keep the rocket ship and other playground pieces in active use, the City has an obligation to every visitor in the park to present the safest environment possible, complying with all federal standards. The new playground, currently under design, will provide an outstanding venue for children to play. We look forward to many other improvements to Heights Park through the implementation of the master plan.

Thank you for your consideration and patience as we move forward on this issue. I invite you to visit our website at www.cor.net to learn more about the Heights Park playground and to keep informed about the latest developments.

Sincerely,

Steve Mitchell

Mayor

Staff

1 year, 4 months ago
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Mahbod123 says:

I thought I would mention that the nearby city of Allen has recently opened a new park that has the newer edition of the rocket slide (unoffically named "Rocket Park," no official name as far as I know). I went there recently and saw it, and plan on going back with my 2 and half year old nefew. Ironically, this new slide is made by the same manufacturor of the original one that Heights Park had (Miracle Recreation Equip.) See for yourselves:

http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM...

In the City of Richardson's Master Plan proposal, they had some computer drafted sketches of this very same model as a possible idea for the new playground (which, IMO, they absolutely SHOULD HAVE went with. No brainer!! It would still be "the park with the rocket." DUH!!!) After reading the City's website, it appears that they are instead going with a treehouse theme. The new structure looks nice (also made by Miracle Recreation equip. with similar pieces), but it's a shame that they are not going to just make Heights Park an updated "Rocketship Park" and keep the tradition. This would make more sense if they REALLY intend to bring back the old rocket as an art sculpute, don't you agree??? Anyhow, the original rocket will never be replaced in our hearts. But if you have little kids in your family that you want to give the same gift of imagination and excitement that Heights Park gave us for 4 and a half decades, I suggest this new "Rocket Park" as an alternative to the usual modernized (read: BORING) playgrounds in the Dallas area. And YES, even though I'm 32, I did try the slide for myself! LOL : ) This one slides farther and faster than the old one, IMO