A very cool program has fallen victim to budget cuts.
Mercer Island will not offer the Adventure Playground Drop-in program this summer.
The playground, on 2 acres within Deane’s Children’s Park (still open), was unique in that it offered creative (and potentially dangerous!) activities for kids involving tools like hammers, nails and hacksaws — with supervision, of course.
The city says failure of a levy-lid lift in November has forced cuts to non-essential programs in order to balance the 2019-20 budget. The Adventure Playground had been offered on a drop-in basis, and with supervision.
In its place, there will be five weeks of Adventure Playground Camp, sponsored by JayMarc Homes.
Participants ages 6-11 will design and build forts and treehouses, learn outdoor survival skills, and more with the instruction of camp staff, professional builders, and naturalists.
The sessions are as follows (1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday):
- June 24-18
- July 8-12
- July 22-26
- Aug. 5-9
- Aug. 19-23
Cost is $175 for Mercer Island residents, $205 for nonresidents.
Online registration is available here.