The Wilsonville Parks and Recreation Department will receive a second $550,000 grant to replace the playground in lower Memorial Park. (Krista Kroiss/Wilsonville Spokesman)

The Wilsonville Parks and Recreation department earned a second grant for a new playground in lower Memorial Park, which will fully fund the project.

Parks supervisor Dustin Schull said the new $550,000 grant came from the Local Government Grant Program through Oregon State Parks. Last spring the department earned a $550,000 grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which will also be administered by Oregon State Parks.

Combined, two grants will fully fund the $1.1 million dollar project. If the city had not received the Local Government Grant, Schull said the Parks Department had $550,000 of its own funds budgeted for the work. If Wilsonville had not earned either grant, he said the project would have “just sat for another year” until the next grant application cycle.

The playground in lower Memorial Park is split in two sections, with the main play structure located near the athletic courts and the swing set located near the volleyball court. The grant funding will help replace both sections.

Schull said the grant process was competitive.

“We really highlighted the need for ADA (accommodations), and universal design and accessibility improvements,” Schull said. “And I think that’s what helped us be successful in this grant process.”

Schull said the current playground has no inclusive elements. As an example of mobility access concerns, he said there is no sidewalk to the swingset; users must go across grass and then enter a several inch drop into wood chips to reach the swingset.

The 12-year-old playground also is “very undersized” for the number of people using Memorial Park, Schull said. In a previous interview, Schull said approximately 100,000 people use the park each year and the usage is a heavy load on the small playground.

Schull estimated the project will take 18 months to two years to complete. Early this fall the Parks department will do community outreach with potential designs for the playground. The community will be able to weigh in on different amenities, colors or themes for the playground, and feedback will also be accepted on the accessibility design.

“We’re really excited to bring another great amenity, another great playground, to Wilsonville,” Schull said. “And we’re even more excited that we’re able to do it by leveraging grant funds.”