I know you all have been super excited about the NEW WOW park, and that has been making us wonder what will happen to the old one. Just got the following press release to let you guys know:
The Athens-Clarke County Leisure Services Department announces that with the new World of Wonder Park fully online, park maintenance crews are preparing to close the former World of Wonder Playground for demolition.
Originally constructed in 2004, the original WOW Playground provided thousands of children endless hours of adventure. Rapid deterioration of the original playground, however, led Athens-Clarke County to begin a replacement project in 2015. This SPLOST-funded replacement project culminated in the opening of the new WOW Park at Southeast Clarke Park this past December.
With the new play area open, the original WOW Playground is scheduled to close the week of February 13 as crews fence off the area in preparation to remove the old structure. Current plans call for the handprint wall, brick plaza, time capsule, and dedication monument for the original playground to remain in place as a reminder of the amazing community effort–both financially and in terms of volunteer labor–that created the original playground.
Several donors have inquired as to the disposition of the named fence pickets built into the perimeter fence for the playground. While the fence itself will not be kept, named pickets will be retained and available for pickup March 15-December 31, 2017. Donors interested in claiming their picket should email ParkMaintenance@
The demolition project and associated restoration of the area is expected to take several months to complete. As always we ask that all patrons use caution when near any construction area and follow all posted signage, fencing, and barricades throughout our parks.
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