Strawberry Rec picks giant berry

A GameTime rendering shows the proposed playground in context, its climbable 20-foot strawberry and green tube slides set on a patch of grass between the district’s tennis and pickleball courts, foreground, and its baseball field, off Belvedere Drive. A barn play structure sits at left. (GameTime via Strawberry Recreation District)

The recreation district will build a nearly 13,000-square-foot playground centered on a climbable 20-foot-tall berry with two green slides for arms and bouncy footbridges.

The board approved the design and hired playground company GameTime to build it for $2.4 million in a 4-0 vote July 14. Board member Sarah Waterfield was absent.

The district plans to break ground in 2027 on the play area, which it has called a “destination” and a “statement piece” meant to draw families to the recreation center off Belvedere Drive. It will replace Reggie Park, which the district removed in 2023 to make way for pickleball and basketball courts.

The district is also seeking public input. While it says it has decided on the overall design, the board wants feedback on the particulars: minor design elements, shapes and colors. The district will ask GameTime to appear at its annual Community Night event Aug. 21, where the company will present the design and take comments from residents.

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