Playground Replacement Program 2026 — Riverdale Park

Late in 2021, City Council approved the Playground Replacement Policy which informs the city generally on which playgrounds are to be replaced and when. In 2022, the city removed two small antiquated play structures that did not merit replacement, and refurbished the playgrounds at both Peltzer and Rabbit Park's pursuant to the policy and plan. Between 2023 and 2024 the playground at River's Bend was refurbished and Alpine Park's was replaced and greatly expanded. In 2025, Central Park was also replaced with a significant expansion in scope and play components at a cost of $449,000.

In summary, the city remains on track in replacing one playground each year, consistent with the policy.  As part of the approval of the 2026-2035 Capital Improvement Plan, the estimated cost of the annual playground replacements rose from $100k to an estimated $125k.  This target amount was an estimate for the 2026 playground replacement—and the RFP process was understood to determine if $125k would be adequate for the near-term years of the CIP.

As the 2026 CIP project page outlines, each of the playgrounds at Solstice, Flintwood Terrace and Riverdale Parks are considered 'due' for replacement.  Staff conducted an analysis and comparisons of all three, and found that Flintwood Terrace and Riverdale Park merit replacement more so than Solstice Park. Based upon a significant number of playground patrons at Riverdale Park over Flintwood Terrace, at the January regular meeting, the Commission directed staff to focus on Riverdale Park this year—with the development of a Request for Proposals, and thus the subject of this March case.

 

The Public Hearing on the 2026-2035 city-wide Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) conducted in December 2025, included the 2026 playground replacement this case discusses.

The 2026 RFP (first attachment) was issued to fourteen playground vendors and six proposals were received by the due date.  As referenced above, issuance of the RFP was to evaluate if $125k would be adequate for a complete playground replacement in 2026. Additionally, park department staff were very interested in seeing if this project could move the city away from Engineered Wood Fiber (EWF or wood chips) for fall zone resilient surfacing, and to Poured-in-Place (PIP) fall zone surfacing.  Accordingly, the RFP invited playground vendors to submit two distinct proposals: "Proposal A shall be Engineered Wood Fiber mulch with poured-in-place in select areas at a not-to-exceed amount of $125,000. Proposal B shall be Poured-in-Place throughout the entire play area at a not-to-exceed amount of $230,000."  Parks Lead, Andy Blood will be present for the meeting to speak to the maintenance aspects and benefits of PIP versus EWF as needed. 

A panel of three staff evaluated the proposals for consistency with the RFP and the two Addenda that were issued before the RFP due date. The three-judge panel identified each submittal from the playground vendors, finding that they were received on time, and generally good, and embarked upon a process of elimination to determine the preferred proposal.

As PIP was the desire for the playground replacement at Riverdale Park, the panel evaluated the proposals based on PIP proposals from 6 vendors. The following is a summary of the referenced process:

The panel began with elimination of the St. Croix Recreation proposal first, as that vendor did not respond to Addendum 1 with removal of pea gravel surfacing as requested.
Similarly, the panel then removed proposer Minnesota Wisconsin Playground because they did not respond to Addendum 2 with the addition of concrete curbing.
The next to be eliminated was Midwest Playscapes due to having fewer swings and slides than the Finnegan Playground Adventures playground.
The panel then chose Finnegan's proposal for elimination because it had fewer playground components than Northland Recreation and Flagship.
The three-judge panel concluded the evaluation of the six proposals by noting that Northland Recreation and Flagship Recreation had the same number of major play components for the primary play structure—however, Flagship provided 3 musical instruments and a non-verbal communication board.

Staff is recommending Flagship's proposal that includes Poured-in-Place surfacing, for an amount of $229,866. 

Concurrent with the issuance of the RFP earlier this Winter, and in recognition that the city may not get a suitable playground replacement that included PIP (for the amount identified in the 2026 CIP), staff explored applying for a MN Department of Natural Resources grant for approximately $125k to supplement the $125k identified in the CIP for a total project cost that would fund the desired proposal by Flagship. At City Council's regular March 10th meeting, the Council will have approved Resolution #26-075 authorizing staff to apply for this MN DNR grant. For this reason and opportunity, staff is recommending that the Riverdale Park playground replacement be 'paused' at this time, to apply for the grant which is due for submission on or before March 31st, 2026.  

The city will learn as to its success in the grant application no later than early Summer of 2026, and therefore can determine the best course of action at that time, based upon the available funding and having completed the comprehensive RFP process.  This "pause" is not anticipated to impact costs as proposals are to be honored for a period of 90 days from the date of submission.  
 

Pursuant to the Playground Replacement Policy, funding for playground refurbishment and replacements would be from the Lawful Gambling Fund. 

Staff recommends pausing the replacement process for Riverdale Park's playground to determine if the city is successful with the application to the MN DNR for supplemental funding. 

By motion or consensus, affirm that Flagship Recreation's proposal to include Poured-in-Place surfacing is the preferred solution for the Riverdale Park playground replacement—and that a recommendation on proceeding will occur later in 2026 when the available funding is known.