Mercer Island Playground Replacements
In 2022, Mercer Island voters approved a 16-year parks levy, which continued funding for parks operations and maintenance in addition to funding playground replacements and Pioneer Park forest management. These critical levy resources will fund the replacement of 15 playground structures over the next 16 years!
Planning work is underway, and you are invited to get involved and share your ideas. This landing page will provide general updates and opportunities to get involved with this multiyear project. As plans for each playground develop, links to individual playground pages will be added. The first playground scheduled for replacement is Roanoke Park.
Click the buttons below to find more information about this multiyear project and playground-specific plans.
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Playground Updates for October 2025
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This year has been busy with work to replace aging play equipment and enhance accessibility at Mercer Island playgrounds! Here's a look at the City's progress in 2025.
Roanoke Park - Now open!
The new playground at Roanoke Park opened in time for Labor Day weekend and has been a hit with the community! This play area renovation replaced all play equipment, benches, and picnic tables as well as added a new ADA parking stall, accessible pathways, and poured-in-place play area surfacing. Heading out to enjoy this new playground? Parking in the neighborhood is limited, so consider walking, biking, or parking at Aubrey Davis Park Lid A or C.
First Hill Park - Under construction!
R&R Construction, the City's contractor for Roanoke Park, has now moved onto First Hill Park! This project replaces old play equipment with a multilevel tower play structure featuring two slides as well as new belt swings and nature-themed, free-standing play elements. New engineered wood fiber (EWF) play area surfacing, timber borders, and concrete curbing will also be installed, and a new crushed-rock pathway will connect the park entrance at the play equipment, sport court, and picnic area. Construction is expected to take 3-4 months, and progress updates will be posted on Let's Talk.
Deane’s Children’s Park - Design work continues
Thank you to the thousands of community members who have provided input in the process to develop a Site Plan for Deane's Children's Park! On November 6, the Parks & Recreation Commission will review the updated Woodsy Wonders concept and share feedback to refine design elements, including play equipment options, during their regular hybrid meeting. Details for this meeting will be posted soon on Let's Talk.
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Round 2 of Deane's Community Engagement is Open through August 11!
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The second round of community engagement for the Deane’s Children’s Park Site Plan is now underway! Your feedback from the first round of outreach helped shape the preliminary design concepts, and we want to hear from you again. Share your feedback on draft concepts and play features in four ways:
- Take the online survey – Open now through August 11. Share your input on preliminary park designs and preferences for different types of play equipment in the park.
- Visit the Deane’s Children’s Park booth at three upcoming community events! Check out early park designs developed from community feedback, and share your thoughts on the look, feel, and character of play structures for the park.
- Mostly Music in the Park on Thursday, July 31 from 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM at Mercerdale Park (3009 77th Avenue SE)
- National Night Out on Tuesday, August 5 from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM at City Hall Parking Lot (9611 SE 36th St)
- Pride in the Park on Thursday, August 7 from 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM at Mercerdale Park (3009 77th Avenue SE)
Your input will help refine these early concepts into one preferred design for the park. The City looks forward to hearing your ideas as we work together to re-imagine Deane’s Children’s Park as an inclusive and welcoming space for all.
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Provide Input for the Deane's Children's Park Site Plan through May 23
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Community engagement for the Deane’s Children’s Park Site Plan is now underway! Input will play a key role in shaping the future of the park, and we want to hear from you. Participate in two upcoming opportunities to share your ideas and priorities:
Take the online survey – open now through May 23, the brief survey allows community members to weigh in on needs and preference for future development.
Attend the open house – a family-friendly open house will be held on Saturday, May 3, from 10:00am to12:00pm at Island Park Elementary, 5437 Island Crest Way. Attendees can learn more about the project and share their thoughts in person.
The feedback collected through the survey and open house will directly inform the development of site plan design concepts, which will be presented to the community for review and input in July. The City looks forward to hearing from the community as it works to re-imagine Deane’s Children’s Park as an inclusive and welcoming space for all!
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First Hill Play Structure Reopened!
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Good news! Last week the City reopened the First Hill Park treehouse, which was closed in November due to wind storm damage. The Parks Maintenance team removed the broken stairwell and walled off the top of the platform, so the structure is now safe for playing once again.
The playground will remain open until construction of the First Hill Park Playground Replacement starts later this year. Read the latest project update to learn more about progress and timing.
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First Hill Play Structure Closed Due to Wind Damage
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The treehouse at First Hill Park was damaged during last month's "bomb cyclone" wind event. While the City evaluates options for the damaged play structure, it will remain closed to the public.
An update will be posted on Let's Talk when next steps for the play structure are identified.
Thank you for helping keep the playground safe by staying out of the closed play area!
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Updates for Mercer Island Playground Replacements
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Work continues to replace aging play equipment and enhance accessibility at Mercer Island playgrounds. Renovated playgrounds at Roanoke Park and First Hill Park will open in spring 2025, and new playground designs for Deane’s Children’s Park and Aubrey Davis Park Lid A are planned for the 2025-2026 biennium. Here’s a look at progress so far and where playground projects are heading in the next biennium.
Roanoke Park
In addition to all new play equipment, benches, and picnic tables, Roanoke Park is getting a new ADA parking space, accessible pathways, and poured-in-place surfacing as part of this playground replacement. Other related site improvements include installing a new park sign, building a new perimeter fence, and restoring the public art sculpture Totem. New play equipment arrived in August and is being stored while staff secure permits and execute the construction contract. Installing the poured-in-place surfacing requires warm weather, so construction will start in early 2025 and be coordinated with construction at First Hill Park to complete two new playgrounds by spring 2025. The playground at Roanoke Park will remain open until construction begins.
First Hill Park
New play equipment at First Hill Park includes a multilevel tower play structure featuring two slides, belt swings, and nature-themed steppers. A new crushed-rock pathway from 72nd Avenue SE to the play equipment, sport court, and picnic area will also be added during construction. Staff are preparing to submit for permits and order play equipment now, and construction is planned for early 2025 in coordination with Roanoke Park. The First Hill Park playground will remain open until construction begins.
Deane’s Children’s Park
In January 2024, the City Council paused the design of a partial playground replacement at Deane’s Children’s Park in favor of taking a holistic look at the site in a future biennium (AB 6395). That sitewide design process starts in 2025 and will focus on:
- Cohesive redesign of the playground areas, including better integration with the new Bike Skills Area
- Inclusive play equipment and universally accessible pathways/playground surfaces
- Picnic shelter, restroom, and other related site improvements
A sitewide redevelopment will require significant resources, and the City is already taking steps to secure grants and other outside financial support for construction. Staff plan to launch community engagement and design in 2025 to develop a preferred site plan concept that will be used for fundraising to complete construction.
Aubrey Davis Park Lid A and Playground Replacement Schedule Updates
Looking ahead, the City plans to engage the community in 2026 to design the playground replacement at Aubrey Davis Park Lid A. Staff are also revising the Playground Replacement Schedule developed in 2022. The industry continues to deal with labor storages and supply chain issues, and the updated schedule will account for these challenges as well as the condition of existing play equipment based on regular inspections conducted by Parks Maintenance. An updated replacement schedule will be shared with the community in mid-2025.
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Community Survey Update: Comment on the draft site plan for First Hill Park Playground.
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The play equipment selection and site plan concept for First Hill Park Playground are now available for community review and comment! Review the site plan and read more about how community feedback shaped the design in this post.
After reviewing the site plan concept, share share comments on the proposed design and equipment here.
Comments will be accepted through July 8, 2024, and feedback will be used to finalize the site plan and play equipment this summer.
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Community Survey Update: Provide feedback for First Hill Park playground equipment!
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Construction of the newly redesigned play area at Roanoke Park begins later this year. Now it’s time to turn attention to the second playground planned for replacement – First Hill Park!
An online community survey to share input on First Hill Park playground is now available. This brief survey is open to the community March 20-April 12, 2024, and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Community members are encouraged to take the survey with the kids in your life!
Take the survey here: https://letstalk.mercergov.org/first-hill-park-playground-replacement/surveys/playground-equipment
The survey was developed based on preliminary assessment of what will fit within the constraints of the size, provide maximum play value, and diversify the play opportunities in City of Mercer Island parks. Survey questions cover:
- Types of play equipment
- How you use the site currently
- General likes/dislikes of potential play structures
Feedback collected from the survey will be used to refine playground concepts, which will be shared online via Let's Talk beginning April 30, 2024.
Thank you for your input!
Who's Listening
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Chief of Operations
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Deputy Public Works Director
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Phone 206-275-7864 Email sarah.bluvas@mercerisland.gov