New orchard and playground upgrade for Leamington
A much loved Cambridge playground is set to get a makeover thanks to a push by the local community for an upgrade.
Last week, Waipa District Council awarded a contract to Playground Creations for the upgrade of the Thompson Street Playground in Leamington which will also include creating a new community orchard for residents to enjoy. Work is expected to start in October and will be complete by the end of the year.
Community services manager Sally Sheedy said community feedback had resulted in the upgrade being included in the Long Term Plan. It was also necessary as parts of the playground had reached the end of their useful life.
“We have a great plan in place for this playground to make it more enjoyable for our community. We have thought about the comfort of parents and guardians bringing their kids to the playground, so we are including a shaded area and bench seating.
“We’ll also be creating a community orchard which will be planted next year in the May/June planting season with fruit trees including plum and feijoa.”
Key elements of the existing playground that are still suitable for play, such as the flying fox, will be kept and reused while, other parts will be removed and replaced.
The new playground will include a double bay swing with timber frame and a basket, a toddler swing, a triple rail slide, timber play tower, timber net climber, stepping logs and timber stilt logs.
The playground will be funded using development contributions and Council’s existing asset renewal fund. Budget was also set aside for this project in Council’s 2018-28 Long Term Plan. It’s expected to cost $300,000.