ALPS is an acronym for "Avon Lake Play Space", a playground that has served Avon Lake and its surrounding region for more than 25 years. It was built during the spring of 1994, by the hands of those who live in our community. It has served the community well. We are now ready to renew the beloved play space. Our goal is to have the first and second phase, play equipment for children 2 to 12 years old, ready to play on early summer 2022. The third phase, for older children and adults, will be completed in 2023.
5-25-2023: City Council has authorized the Recreation Department to go out for bids. The Law Director is currently reviewing the bid package. Once complete we will be advertising for bids.
10-24-2022: City officials and members of council share the community's desire to make the reimagined Avon Lake Play Space a reality. We have spent countless hours engaging the community to develop a space that multiple generations can enjoy. In an effort to move the project forward despite current legal challenges, City Council authorized the Mayor to negotiate a contract with Sixmo to serve as the criteria architect for this project. Sixmo has a proven track record of success in design build projects and will ensure that the project meets the quality standards that our residents expect, from pre-design through construction. The project will utilize the feedback already obtained from the community as we move forward. While we can't predict product availability and other supply chain issues, our project plan is to procure the equipment during the spring and complete construction before the end of Summer 2023. We are confident this reimagined space will be a destination for our community to enjoy for generations to come.
4-25-2022: A statement from Mayor Zilka at the April 25, 2022 Council Meeting. "As most of you know, for some time the City has been planning to upgrade the playground equipment in Besser Park. Last year, various city officials, members of council and members of the community spent countless hours working with several prospective playground providers to come up with a suitable plan. We believe the process was open, transparent, fair and legally compliant. Unfortunately, a judge of the Lorain County Common Pleas Court felt that the methodology used was not authorized by the City's Charter. While we respect the Court's decision we disagree with the ruling and have initiated an appeal. In the meantime, because an appeal may take some time, we are exploring other options to get the playground completed as soon as possible and will be discussing this openly in the next several weeks."
1-31-2022: Council unanimously approved the contract with Midstates Recreation. The order for the new equipment has been placed.
12-14-2021: Dismantling started...
Cutting the towers free to preserve them.
12-8-2021: The city-wide survey has been completed and the final equipment selections are going through Council. If approved, the equipment will be ordered right away. Our original ALPS will be dismantled starting 12/14. However, the two main towers will be preserved as the gateway to the new play space along with the brick path. If your family didn't donate a brick in 1994 additional bricks will be available in 2022.
10-27-2021: Open house at Avon Lake Public library featured boards with photos of all the equipment options and the opportunity for the whole family to vote for their favorites. Folks had an opportunity to vote online and the participation was fantastic!
Stay tuned to this page for future developments.