New Pirate Island Playground officially open in Rigby
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RIGBY – The city of Rigby officially opened the new Pirate Island Playground Saturday afternoon.
The new playground first opened the week of Thanksgiving, but the city waited to hold the grand opening when the weather was warmer.
The city decided to go with the pirate theme after looking at several different options. City officials worked with LuckyDog Recreation to install the new equipment.
“The children can play from one end of the playground to the other end of the playground without touching the ground. You can see it from highway 20 and it’s a kid magnet,” Nicole Stoddard, VP of Sales for LuckyDog Recreation tells EastIdahoNews.com.
The Pirate Island Playground includes a rock cave, a pirate ship, a double net and a zip line. Members of the community were here Saturday to watch the ribbon cutting, enjoy a train ride along with other games and activities, and even meet Slyde the Playground Hound.
“The community loves it. It’s been a great addition to the community. It’s busy here everyday,” says Rigby city council woman Nichole Weight.
Weight says they originally wanted to put in a splash pad at this location but learned the playground was a better option for the city.
“(A splash pad) is expensive to keep up and you can only use it a few months out of the year. We were able to spend the same amount of money and get a much larger playground and we can use it for four or five months longer throughout the year,” says Weight.
Weight says urban renewal funds made the new playground possible. She did not reveal the amount. She says they have enjoyed working with LuckyDog and are grateful for all those who supported this effort.
“This is something LuckyDog has wanted to do for years because my husband is from Rigby,” Stoddard says. “When Nichole and the mayor came to us and said they wanted a double net, it was like a meeting of the minds. It was a project we took a lot of pleasure in doing.”
An eagle scout refurbished the old playground several years ago. Weight says they were able to reuse that equipment at Pioneer Park off of 3rd West north of the red brick LDS church building on East 300 North.
Pirate Island Playground is located inside Rigby South Park right next to the rodeo grounds.
