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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Spokane Valley Discovery Playground gets $42,000 facelift

Abigail Peterson, 2, runs to join her brother Riley in the Discovery Playground sandbox on Sept. 4 in Spokane Valley. (Tyler Tjomsland)
Treva Lind treva.lind@comcast.net

In Spokane Valley’s Discovery Playground, 2-year-old Obadiah Mowery held tight to the seat handles of a new seesaw-like play feature on Friday as his mom, brother, and grandfather sat across to help rock him gently higher.

The captivated toddler stayed on the We-saw long after his brother, 4-year-old Braeden, ventured off in search of other play options.

“I like this better because we can all ride this together,” said the boys’ mother, Shawna Mowery, when asked how it compared to a traditional seesaw.

Cal Hardesty, the boys’ grandfather, agreed as he rode in a seat near Obadiah. “This is pretty cool.”

The We-saw shares space with two other new toddler play items in the center of the playground. The equipment was added along with a lawn area, landscaping, and other improvements in a $42,000 upgrade project completed in July, said city of Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation Director Mike Stone.

He said the big item in the upgrade was the We-saw, which has four seats and a section in the middle that holds more people.

“Both kids and adults can be on it together, and you rock up and down, like you would on the old teeter-totter.”

“It’s a great activity for parents and children because everyone can participate. A younger child can sit in the lap of an adult.”

The We-saw also is wheelchair accessible. Stone said other new toddler play equipment includes a tot climber that sits close to the ground, and a Centrix, a piece that allows the user to stand on a base and spin while holding a disc at the top.

Also as part of the improvements, Stone said pavers and a fossil maze were moved and grouped to one side of the park.

“We relocated landscaping and added the toddler play equipment,” he said. “A section of turf also was added, and people now have access to the short wall for seating.”

“We also needed to repair the trampled and eroding slope by the double slide that kids were using as a shortcut. An additional railing and a boulder retaining wall were added, and it was relandscaped.”

He said now with the new features and relocated play equipment, “There’s something for everyone.”

Other features of the park include picnic shelters, a splash pad, a secret garden with a wavy walk and tunnel, swing sets, and climbing structures.

Discovery Playground is at 2426 N. Discovery Place near Mirabeau Parkway. The park will close for the season at the first snowfall, Stone said, and reopen around March 20, depending on weather. The park’s restrooms will be closed Oct. 16 through April 14. Park users can access restrooms at CenterPlace, located just north of the playground.