Redding’s signature playground has reopened after an almost yearlong transformation.
After 23 years of service, the Kids Kingdom at the Enterprise Community Park was in dire need of repair. Redding’s Community Service Director Kim Niemer says it was literally falling apart.
"We had done or best to keep it going, but it was splintering and decaying and we were going to lose it, one way or the other,” she said.
But the money that was needed was not in the budget, so $350,000 was raised through grants and private donations. The park has new water features, a zip line, new fencing for security, and is accessible to kids of all ages and abilities.
"Children that have been left to watch other kids play or haven't come to the park because they couldn't take advantage or play are now welcome, but I think that the kids that don't have those issues are not even going to notice,” Niemer said.
The new park should have at least as long of a lifespan as the previous version, and will be open to kids year-round.