Construction started last year on Inspiration Playground in Bellevue, Washington...then it started to rain and never stopped!  

Annual rain in the Seattle area is around 37 inches. (That already seems like a lot since our hometown in Lafayette, Colorado averages just 15.8 inches per year). But, since last October, over 45.9 inches of record rain has come down over in the Seattle area.  That’s almost 4 FEET of rain! The Seattle Times called nailed it when they said “Enough Already!”

That’s a lot of water to deal with for a construction project.  No matter, the willpower and dedication to the making of Inspiration Playground has kept construction rolling and plans for opening are set for this summer.

Designing for Water

Speaking of water . . . knowing there’s going to be a lot of rain, ‘”managing water” is an important design feature.  Minimal use of sod is planned to minimize maintenance impact of saturated lawns.  Heavily planted rain gardens throughout the site will collect and provide natural water quality purification.  And a well-designed stormwater run-off system will move water along off the playground site.

Rainy-Day Play

“I learned early on in my parenting career that there’s no need to stay inside on a wet day,” said Linnea Westerlind, author of Discovering Seattle Parks, who created a best-of list of the “The Best Rainy-Day Parks and Playgrounds.”  Inspiration Playground will fit right in with these rain-friendly, puddle-jumping fun spots that Seattle area children enjoy.