During the Jan. 7, 2025, meeting, the Farmington City Council reviewed a quote from Big T Construction and the plan for the Ivy Acres Park playground equipment. The playground space is designed to include an impressive main structure with three large towers, two connecting bridges, and five slides, as well as a log obstacle course, tree-stump-themed sitting area, and climbing net. 

The total quote from Big T Construction for the playground structure, installation, surfacing, and freight comes to a total of $1,479,308.31. During the session, Mayor Brett Anderson and the City Council discussed how this significant budget was allocated and optimized for an excellent playground space. The process came down to a careful balance between selecting the equipment’s unique features and finding areas to save on.

Anderson described how when the city was in the initial planning stages with Big T, the design incorporated large bulb-shaped structures that were custom-made. This version of the equipment would bring the cost to approximately $1.8 million. In order to reduce the cost and use the budget more effectively, the City Council and Big T agreed upon an alternate plan. 

“We worked with them to get an ‘off-the-shelf’ product, which is what this is,” Anderson said of the conceptual plan provided by Big T and Farmington City. “It’s 80% something that already exists, which is what they call off-the-shelf, and then 20% custom, so there are some custom elements in here.” 

One of these specifically selected custom elements is the playground’s largest slide.

“We got a much taller product, a much bigger product. Something that will last longer,” Anderson said, describing how the standard playground slide for this set of equipment is made of wood and has “a shorter lifespan,” while the Ivy Acres Park slide will be made out of a much more durable powder-covered steel. This choice of materials will allow the slide to have less maintenance requirements so that it is ultimately a safer component for children to play on.

The custom slide element will also give the Ivy Acres Park an exciting claim to fame as it will be much larger than most other slides in the area. Since the groundbreaking ceremony back in November, Mayor Anderson noted, the community has been calling it the “tallest slide north of Salt Lake.” 

In keeping with the plan established between the city and Big T, Ivy Acres will also be Farmington’s third park with poured-in-place rubber synthetic material, as opposed to the standard bark surfacing. The synthetic surfacing is another feature specifically chosen to enhance both the overall design of the playground space and the park’s adjacent components. The splash pad in particular will benefit as it will not have bark or wood chips tracked into it, allowing for a top-notch water feature area.

When the council raised the question of how long the synthetic material will last, Mayor Anderson explained that this kind of poured-in-place surfacing has lasted at other local parks for about 15 years, which is an increase in longevity compared to the standard bark material. Additionally, Big T’s design has offset the seams of the surfacing so it is away from the key areas where punctures in the flooring tend to happen, such as the spots where children get off the slides. This design will make the surfacing even more durable and safe for kids. 

As the discussion concluded, the city council members expressed their enthusiasm for the design and the playground space. Farmington locals can look forward to having this outstanding space in their community.