CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The playground at Rancho Vista Park has been fenced off since mid-May due to safety concerns, leaving families in the neighborhood without a local gathering spot for children.
The city took over the park from the homeowners association in 2022. After a third-party safety assessment in May determined the playground equipment was unsafe, officials decided to remove the old equipment.
Heather Kiss, a Rancho Vista resident, recalled originally noticing around mid May. "There [was] an orange barricade, one of those orange sheets, that's around the playground structure."
Kiss, who posted about the issue on Nextdoor, said the lack of signage was frustrating.
"There was no signage. I would have been great if there would just have been a sign essentially explaining what's going on.
I think it is a big impact for our community," Kiss said.
The city is now working on a temporary solution while planning for a full replacement.
"We don't want to take it out and leave it with nothing and the best way for us to take care of that financially we're going to scale it down a little bit with the rock wall and some swing sets and some more picnic type areas," said Robert Dodd, parks and recreation director.
The temporary additions will cost approximately $55,000 from next year's operating budget and are expected to be completed by December 2025.
A full playground replacement is in the capital improvement plan for 2029 with an estimated cost of up to $500,000, though according to Dodd, the timeline is not guaranteed.
Until the temporary equipment is installed, families in Rancho Vista are advised to visit other parks in the area.
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