Design Update: Survey Results and Site Analysis

Thank you to the community members who completed the First Hill Park Playground Equipment Survey. The survey closed on April 14 and received 164 responses, including 400 written comments! Berger Partnership, the consultant collaborating with the City on this project, is still working through all the community’s great feedback and needs more time to thoughtfully develop a conceptual site plan. That concept will be shared on Let's Talk when ready.

In the meantime, this post provides an overview of the survey feedback as well as the existing conditions and opportunities being considered for the site.

Having trouble reading the graphics? Click here or on any one of the graphics to access a PDF of all three.

Playground Equipment Survey Results

The digital survey on playground equipment and other site features was open March 20, to April 14, 2024. It was promoted through a variety of channels, including:

Let’s Talk
City social media
MI Weekly
Mercer Island Preschool Association
Mercer Island School District

The City received 164 responses, including 400 written comments about how community members use the small sport court at the park; interest in swings at the play area; and other feedback related to play preferences and site amenities. Highlights from the survey results are provided below.

High-level summary of survey results compiled by Berger Partnership, the City's consulting partner for the First Hill Park Playground Replacement project.

98% of respondents said their household does or will visit First Hill Park. Of those respondents, 55% have 5–12-year-olds at home and 45% have 2–5-year-olds.
A little less than half (48%) of respondents use the First Hill basketball hoop, while 39% said they use the sport court for rolling activities as biking, scooting, and skating; playing tag, catch, and four square; drawing with chalk; hosting community events; and other activities.
50% of respondents supported repurposing the existing swing area to make room for new and unique play equipment at First Hill.
Respondents preferred curved slides to straight slides (69% to 12%) and overwhelmingly preferred open-top sliding to closed tube sliding (57% to 28%).
Community members gave great feedback on the two multi-level tower structures shown in the survey. Stay tuned for the release of the conceptual site plan, which will give more details about the preferred structure.

Existing Conditions and Park Opportunities

The graphic below shows the existing site conditions at First Hill Park.

Existing conditions documented by Berger and the City.

The play area and surrounding park space present many opportunities that Berger and the City are exploring for the conceptual site plan. Opportunities include:

Linking play elements with an accessible pathway throughout the site;
Taking advantage of gaps in the tree canopy to locate new play equipment;
Using the existing swing area to add new swinging experiences on the Island; and
Placing new seating throughout the park.

What about the hillside slide?

Many community members shared their love for the hillside slide at First Hill Park in the survey comments. Installed in 2002, this slide starts near the treehouse structure and sends users down the hillside along SE 32^nd Street. To return to the main play area, sliders must walk up and around the park via SE 32^nd Street and 72^nd Avenue SE or scramble back up the hillside. This structure will be removed as part of this playground replacement given its age, accessibility challenges, and other issues. Berger and the City are exploring other play elements, such as climbing equipment, that would maintain the unique hillside play experience while promoting safer play with the existing topography.

Park opportunities are identified in the graphic below and will inform the concept for the new play area that will be posted on Let’s Talk soon!

Site opportunities under consideration for this project.