Boulders, logs and a web of ropes: Unusual Bellingham park to open with a scramble
Bellingham’s newest park got a name and an opening date this week as the Bellingham City Council chose Scramble Nature Playpark for the playground designed to inspire creative fun.
Instead of traditional playground equipment, the half-acre park will feature logs and boulders to climb on, and a swing set made of logs, said Ryan Flueger, vice president of construction for the Talbot Group, which built the park. Talbot Group is a major developer in the Barkley Village commercial-residential area, and will maintain the playground and a trail connecting to the city’s Greenways system.
“Generally speaking, this whole park is constructed with logs, boulders. There will be one rope-climbing feature similar to a spider web, that was kind of the inspiration of that one,” Flueger said at a meeting of the City Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee on Monday, April 24.
Flueger said the park was modeled after Westmoreland Park in Portland, Ore.
One section of the park will be covered in sand and have water pumps so children can mix sand and water and send water down a concrete spillway.
“(Kids) can bring that sand in and create some dams,” Flueger said.
A water fountain will have a bottle-filling space and a bowl for pets to drink from, Flueger said.
Scramble Nature Playpark will open June 3, to coincide with an annual safety fair geared toward families and children. The fair uses the Regal Cinema parking lot near the park. A ceremonial ribbon cutting is June 2.
“Neighbors in the community are anxiously awaiting for the fence to come down and the park to be open,” Nicole Oliver, director of the Parks and Recreation Department, said Monday. “Quite a bit of thought went into this by the Talbot Group.”
Although Talbot Group had requested the name last year, it wasn’t until Monday night, after the committee meeting, that the full City Council met and members unanimously approved Scramble Nature Playpark.
Talbot received a $1.2 million credit against park impact construction fees last year.
This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 2:00 AM.
