Help design the playground at Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park

The play equipment at Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park has reached the end of its life expectancy.  We are asking for your help in selecting the new equipment for the playground!

Project Background
The Hillwood Manor Neighborhood Park playground project will renovate the existing playground and picnic area for multi-purpose recreation and leisure uses while providing accessibility and stormwater management improvements.  After the playground renovation project had begun, staff had the opportunity to initiate a joint project with the City of Takoma Park to address stormwater runoff from 13^th Street in the vicinity of the playground.  A structural micro-bioretention area, approximately 13 feet wide by 120 feet long, is proposed along the length of the lowest area of the road.  This facility is intended to treat off-site runoff before it reaches the stream.  The new playground will be constructed behind this facility and separated from it with a fence.  The plan also includes stormwater management underneath the playground surfacing to treat the playground and new impervious surfaces associated with the playground.  One existing storm drain outfall pipe that runs underneath the playground from the road to the stream will also be replaced, due to its poor condition. 

More information on the project and timeline is available on the project page. 

Playground Design
Montgomery Parks needs your help in selecting the best design for the new playground at Hillwood Manor.  We have two unique concepts for the playground.  Below are descriptions and images for each concept.  Please carefully review each concept and vote for your favorite.  Before you vote, don’t forget to consult with the most important voices in playground design:  the kids!

All play equipment shown below has been certified by the International Play Equipment Manufacturer’s Association as compliant with relevant safety guidelines.  The two playground concepts are similarly priced and all occupy identical footprints. 

OPTION 1 

This natural themed playground takes its cues from the wooded stream buffer of the adjacent Sligo Creek.  The post and platform structures take the form of clubhouses perched high in the trees, creating a hiding place, a treehouse or a secret fort.  Some children find that the sights and sounds of a playground can be overwhelming.  The Den Rock on one end of the 5-12 structure provides a calming hideaway inside with accessibility from multiple routes and visibility through the structure.  Hand and foot holds are built into the concrete so kids can climb on the inside and outside of the “rock”.  The smaller structure is suited for the younger users to their size and abilities.  Nearly every surface on these structures is designed for play, allowing lots of kids to climb at once and creating endless opportunities for exploring.  This option also contains a Super Nova, which is a spinner that attracts children of all ages and abilities.  In addition to helping children train their sense of balance, spinners are just fun!

View site plan, layout and more renderings of option 1:

Site Plan
Playground Layout
Rendering #1
Rendering #2 
Rendering #3
Rendering #4 - Super Nova

OPTION 2

The equipment for this playground is designed around the fusion of both nature and city life, with towering rooftops, nature inspired play events and nonlinear climbing paths.  Kids have unlimited possibilities to create an imaginative world of fun and exploration.  The tower of the 5-12 structure is the focal point of this playground design and is 14 feet high and puts the kids right up in the trees!  Users can choose from several possible routes to the top, taking on a new challenge with each climb.  Transparency through the tower lets caregivers monitor activity from the ground.  Elements from the large structure are replicated on a smaller scale for the younger park users.  The Quiet Grove is a peaceful retreat to help the children who become anxious with the excitement and energy of the playground to ease their stress without having to leave.  The bench and activities within the walls help soothe them so they can refocus and return to playing. 

View site plan, layout and more renderings of option 2:

Site Plan
Playground Layout
Rendering #1
Rendering #2
Rendering #3
Rendering #4
Rendering #5
Rendering #6
Rendering #7 - Quiet Grove

We Want to Hear From You!

Take the SURVEY below to vote for your preferred playground design. Need more information before you vote?  Did we leave a favorite piece of equipment out of the design?  Leave a comment on this page or contact Kathleen Dearstine, Project Manager, at Kathy.Dearstine@montgomeryparks.org or 301-650-2883 with questions. Due to space limitations and safety requirements, we cannot promise all requests/ideas will be incorporated but will do our best.  Please pass this opportunity to vote on to your friends and neighbors!

Comments are being accepted until 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2021.