One of the center pieces of the City of Worthington’s park system is the Olentangy River Parklands. The Parklands are nestled along the scenic banks of the Olentangy River and adjacent to several residential areas. They consist of 100 wooded acres featuring over 2 miles of bikeway. Scattered along the bikeway are a series of recreational areas including several small playgrounds. The Highgate and Whitney Playgrounds are two playgrounds within the overall Worthington parks system.

While well cared for by the city staff, after twenty plus years of service, the playgrounds were in need of replacement. The City Staff wanted to replace the playgrounds in their current locations with minimal modifications to the surrounding Parklands. It was also the City’s desire to renovate the playgrounds in an environmentally responsible manner that would be in keeping with the natural environment of the parklands.

POD Design worked with City Staff to select play equipment and design safety surfacing that created an atmosphere reminiscent of a child’s tree house in the woods. The safety surfacing features a ‘path’ that winds its way throughout the play area, connecting various play structures in a way that creates a circuit for children to explore and a ‘river’ the cuts through the middle of the play area with various elements passing over, around, or through it. The play equipment itself was selected for its natural color scheme and for the shape of the various elements that supported the tree house theme.