Winfield park board officials have authorized the formation of a steering committee to oversee the rebuilding of the Island Park Playground which was destroyed by fire last month, according to city parks director Mark Olney.
The committee will be comprised mostly of members who served on a similar committee when the park was first constructed four years ago. Many of those volunteers have expressed interest in serving again, Olney said.
"The goal is to meet within the next seven days and get an idea of what type of playground and concept everyone is interested in," he said. "We should be able to get a pretty good idea how far insurance proceeds will go."
Local police have arrested two juvenile males and one juvenile female suspect in connection with the playground arson investigation. They have yet to be formally charged, according to a court spokesperson.
Crews cleaned up the charred remains of the first playground over the last two weeks and Island Park reopened at noon Wednesday.
Olney expects that some additional fund raising will be necessary even though the playground was insured for $240,000. There have already been numerous offers of financial support, according to a number of city officials.
The steering committee will have a final say on what the new park looks like, but Olney said he thinks a castle ought to be a included in any design.
"That’s just my opinion, but, I thought that was what the park standout," he said.
Preliminary discussion calls for planning and fundraising to take place through the winner. Construction could be under way by the spring, Olney said.
