Jaycee Park's Discovery Playground Opening Set for Late September

The all-inclusive Discovery Playground at is nearing completion and a grand opening has been tentatively set for Sept. 21. 

The date is tentative because it's unclear how the remnants of Hurricane Isaac might impact construction. 

Four or five construction crews are working alongside one another to install different parts of the playground in an effort to meet the deadline, said Assistant Director Chris Atkinson. 

The Parks Department partnered with Unlimited Play to raise funds for the $800,000 cost to build the playground, which will be accessible to children with disabilities. 

The Parks and Recreation Committee decided to fund the $200,000 shortfall in fundraising efforts so they could complete the project. The funding was transfered from other projects with the goal that fundraising will continue and repay the parks fund. 

"We didn't want to open it and not have it completed," Atkinson said. 

Work on this project started two years ago, Atkinson said. Construction started about five months ago. 

"It's coming together nicely," Atkinson said. "We have to keep working hard over the next few weeks."

Frontier Park Pavilion

St. Charles Parks Department is working toward installing a pavilion on the north side of . Atkinson said the city has been working to obtain the necessary permits and permission to build because the pavilion will be located in a flood plain. 

He said the department is getting ready to place the order for the actual shelter itself. Delivery will take six to eight weeks, and during that time the department will build a trail and concrete pad on which the shelter will be installed. 

The  has been working toward installing restrooms and pavilions in the park for the past several years. The Parks Department installed restrooms just north of the Jaycee stage in December 2011. The cost of the restroom installation left funding for just one picnic shelter on the north side. 

Read our earlier stories about the parks: