LAGUNA HILLS : Celebration Today at New Playgrounds

New play equipment in a city park usually doesn’t prompt such ceremony and celebration.

But for residents near Costeau Park and Knotty Pine Park, whose children have been without anything to climb and crawl and slide on for a year and a half, today is a special day.

City officials and neighbors will gather at the two parks this afternoon for ceremonies to celebrate the installation of “state of the art” play equipment that replaces the outdated and unsafe equipment removed in August, 1992.

“The play equipment in both of these parks was approaching 20 years old and it was severely outdated,” said Dave Lewis, the city’s parks and recreation director.

The previous equipment was installed by the county parks department before Laguna Hills incorporated in 1991.

The new equipment, which cost $70,000, was selected by the city after a study by the Parks and Recreation Commission, with involvement from residents, Lewis said.

“It’s pretty much state of the art,” Lewis said. “It’s designed for varying age groups and to be challenging physically and socially and, of course, to be fun.”

“In the last 10 to 15 years, there’s been a great amount of improvements in play-equipment design and construction, as well as safety,” Lewis said.

Instead of the usual slides, swings and monkey bars, he said, “now they have integrated systems that are designed for specific age groups and that are intended for specific types of play.”

Besides that, he added, “It looks neat. It enhances the look of the park.”

The ceremony at Costeau Park is at 3:30 p.m. and at Knotty Pine Park at 4:15 p.m.

Costeau Park is located at Costeau Street and Alicia Parkway. Knotty Pine Park is at Mackenzie Street and Knotty Pine Road.