Battle of the berries: Strawberry Rec nears decisions on playground designs

A GameTime rendering shows the firm’s proposed playground for the Strawberry Recreation District, centered on a climbable 20-foot strawberry with green tube slides. The conceptual design also includes a barn play structure, swings, a spinning climbing net and a carousel set on strawberry-themed rubber surfacing. (GameTime via Strawberry Recreation District)

A Kompan rendering shows the company’s competing wood design, built around a 16-foot ‘strawberry truck’ and a 30-foot tower with a green tube slide, with strawberry-painted panels and shade structures. (Kompan via Strawberry Recreation District)

A new playground at the Strawberry Recreation District could cost as much as $3 million, according to bids the board weighed last week as it nears a decision on which firm to hire.

GameTime’s design centers on a climbable 20-foot strawberry. Kompan’s features a 16-foot “strawberry truck” and a 30-foot tower with a slide. The board heard both presentations June 23 and said it would choose a firm at its next meeting July 14, in what board Chair Peter Teese called “the most important decision we will ever make.”

The playground will replace Reggie Park, a play area that was removed in 2023 to make way for pickleball and basketball courts. The new playground will be built off Belvedere Drive on a patch of grass between the tennis courts and baseball fields.

The district’s fiscal 2026-2027 budget, approved that night, sets aside $1.8 million for the capital-improvement playground costs. Teese said the board had hoped for a total cost of $2 million, but both companies came in higher in their proposals: GameTime at $2.2 million and Kompan at $3 million.

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