Corvallis School District officials site safety concerns in decision

It came without warning and caught many people by surprise, including hundreds of Wilson Elementary School children on Friday when Corvallis School District officials announced the sudden closure of Wildcat Park.

The 17-year-old wooden play structure serves as part of the playground for Wilson students and was built as a joint venture in 1989 by residents, the Corvallis School District and the city Parks and Recreation Department.

A recent evaluation found significant structural problems that were beyond repair, leaving no choice but to close the park, district officials said. Although treated lumber was used for construction, the preservative was later banned in most public settings and has not prevented the rotting of the wood underground, the analysis determined.

Wilson Principal Gerry Kosanovic delivered what he described as “heartbreaking news” to students and parents in a letter on Friday.

“Wildcat Park, built by a community of volunteers in 1989, is at the end of its useful life,” Wilson said. “While we have made gallant attempts to maintain a safe structure for our children, both time and the environment have taken its toll.”

Students were given 10 final minutes after school to play one last time, to crawl through passages, up stairs and over bridges, then district maintenance crews began to put up a metal chain link fence and signs posting the closure.

Among the people who helped to build the park in 41/2 days was former Wilson teacher Roy Hart. Though he retired in 1998, Hart still volunteers and teaches at the school and watched Friday as Wildcat Park was fenced off.

“They told us it would probably last 20 years,” Hart said. “We thought it would last forever.”

At the time that it was built it was the largest single-structure playground in Benton County. It featured slides, swings, tunnels, bridges, mazes, towers, tire nets and a variety of other structures “limited only by a child’s imagination,” as officials described it in May 1989.

Wildcat Park was designed by architect Robert Leathers, known for his distinctive wooden play structures that are found all over the United States.

A committee, spearheaded by a pair of former Wilson teachers, met for three years to plan the park, Hart recalled. Although Wilson students get to play at Wildcat Park every day, it was open to all residents on weekends, during the summer and after school.

“It’s just a part of Corvallis,” Hart said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen now.”

The closure of Wildcat Park coincides with a discussion by the Corvallis School Board next Monday about what to do with money left over from the district’s facility bond measure. Among the list of possible projects that could be funded with the remaining dollars are playground upgrades at elementary schools, said facilities director Fred Wright.

All the Corvallis public school playgrounds are being evaluated and the safety and accessibility reports will be posted to the district Web site as they are completed.

The Wilson report by Thompson and Associates Consultants of Issaquah, Wash., concluded there were numerous safety issues at Wildcat Park. The problems aren’t the result of faulty assembly, the report noted.

“These safety concerns are inherently product-oriented and have been found on similar structures in and out of Oregon,” the report said. “The safety concerns found in the structure cannot be addressed by continued maintenance or any modifications to the existing structure. This may make things worse.”

Principal Kosanovic said children and adults were saddened by the news.

“Wildcat Park is not only our signature playground area, it has been a community recreational spot for thousands of children since the time it was built. We all have many wonderful memories watching imaginations soar on the wooden planks of Wildcat.

“To protect the safety of our students and the children of Corvallis, we must regrettably close Wildcat Park.”

Wildcat memories

What are your fondest memories of Wildcat Park? Send them to the Gazette-Times and we’ll print of selection of the responses. E-mail responses should be limited to 150 words and can be sent to news@gtconnect.com.

Rebecca Barrett covers public policy and education for the Gazette-Times. She can be reached at Rebecca.barrett@lee.net or 758-9510.