At the first public meeting for the replacement of the Golden Gardens playground April 7, a new location for the play area was all but decided on. The types of play equipment it would feature was a bit more controversial.

The upgrade of the 20-year-old playground that sits adjacent to the barbeque area is being funded by the Pro Parks Levy.

The city wants to bring the playground into safety and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and also move it to a larger space away from a high-traffic area, said Virginia Hassinger, project coordinator for Seattle Parks and Recreation.

Dean Koonts, an architect from HBB Landscape Architecture working on the project, said the current playground, which features four swings and a small play structure, has a small range of equipment, caters to a small age group and has little separation from traffic.

After a site analysis by HBB that ruled out areas within 200 feet of the shoreline, areas that are habitat-sensitive or already highly used and a portion of Golden Gardens that may have contaminated soil, the city is proposing relocating the playground to the grass-covered area immediately east of the Golden Gardens Bathhouse.

The new site is 10,000 square feet, nearly four times as large as the current playground site. It is close to handicap parking spaces, has good visibility and is near the restrooms at the Bathhouse, Koonts said.

The handful of community members at the meeting either vocally supported the new location or did not offer criticism of it.

Attendees were more critical of the types of play equipment that would be used in the playground and the age groups in would serve.

Kate Martin, a neighborhood activist, said Parks and Recreation devotes too much funding to playgrounds that cater to children younger than 12. There is a Parks bias against teens, and she questions the premise and legality of the plan to renovate and replace the Golden Gardens playground.

Another community member who stopped into the meeting while walking her dog asked the city to include swings or a zip-line – equipment that both children and adults could enjoy.

Parks and HBB allowed meeting attendees to vote on different types of play equipment by placing color-coded stickers next to photos of the equipment.

King County Councilmember Larry Phillips was present at the meeting and said the play equipment is better than the jungle gyms he grew up with.

He said he is always interested in making more and better parks available, and this is a chance to do that for Golden Gardens.

"When we have the chance to make a park experience better, particularly for families and kids, that's great," he said.

Hassinger said Parks is looking to have a schematic plan ready to present to the public in June. More detailed designs will be created through October, she said.

She said Parks hopes to build the new playground using its $500,000 budget in early spring 2011.

More information on the Golden Gardens playground project, including results from the vote on play equipment, can be found here.