SOLANA BEACH — Construction of a new tot lot at Fletcher Cove Park in Solana Beach is officially underway after crews removed the old, well-loved equipment and fenced off the area on April 5.
Originally installed in 2007 as part of Fletcher Cove Park’s construction, the tot lot and play equipment has been worn down by significant daily use at the popular park and the elements from the nearby beach.
The playground area is now closed off to the public, and construction is expected to be completed by the end of June, according to the city.
“Following significant community engagement, the new Tot Lot at Fletcher Cove will completely replace an extremely popular and well-used (but well-worn and weathered) playground with a brand new one, designed to appeal to a wider age range of children to restore and beautify this community centerpiece of Fletcher Cove Park,” said City Manager Greg Wade.
The renovated tot lot will include a shaded structure with a disc net climber, slide and monkey bars, as well as a new swing set. Designers also incorporated structures for younger children ages 6 months to 5 years, including a mini “clubhouse” and sensory activity panels.
Requests for play items more appropriate for younger children were one of the main pieces of feedback the city gathered from the community when doing outreach about the new playground.
The new rubberized play surface that will run underfoot features an illustration of a whale swimming through the space in different shades of blue. Rubberized mulch will also be added along the edges of the lot.
While some existing elements of the site will be maintained, such as the seat walls, the new design will create more walkable surfaces and improve the overall connection to the larger park, city officials said.
Total costs for the design and construction of the new tot lot are nearly $400,000, according to city documents.
A small number of parking spaces directly adjacent to the tot lot will be used as a staging area during construction and will not be available for public use. However, all other areas of the park, including the basketball courts, remain open.
The city’s plans to replace the tot lots at both Fletcher Cove and La Colonia Park have been in the works since before COVID-19, but these efforts were delayed as a result of the pandemic, Wade said.
The city expects the La Colonia Park tot lot project to go out to bid in June and construction to hopefully begin in the fall.
