Wilder Park, the first park acquired by Illinois' Elmhurst Park District in 1921, received a facelift in 2012 that features multiple net climbers on a new, custom playground. The new play area features many recycled elements, including picnic tables, game tables and benches constructed from recycled plastic timbers, set above poured-in-place surfacing made of recycled rubber tires.

Located in the heart of Elmhurst, Ill., Wilder Park is used early and often by residents and students from surrounding schools, as it is bordered by the Elmhurst Public Library, Elmhurst Art Museum, Lizzadro Museum and Wilder Mansion. Constructed in 1995, the Wilder Park playground was scheduled for replacement in 2011, and became part of a larger project partially funded through an Illinois Department of Natural Resources' Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) grant. The goal of the design was to accommodate as many playing children as possible. The result was an 8,000+ square foot custom playground that children couldn't wait to explore. Prior to the new playground's installation, the nonprofit organization Kids Around the World removed the old playground and reconstructed the structures before transporting them to an orphanage in Thailand that did not have a playground for children, effectively recycling the Wilder Park playground.

The main structure is bedecked with climbing elements, including chimney, cliff, conical and corkscrew climbers; a pinnacle rock boulder, orbiter spinner, and loop pole also provide access to the ramps and slides. There are two transfer stations into the structure, and the net climber is easily reached from the ground, ensuring accessibility for children with special needs.

Main Structure
The main structure is from Landscape Structures. The interior features a 12-foot-high pyramid net climber, with four net climbers connecting the main pyramid climber to the rest of the structure. The climbers are made of a nylon-based rope anchored to a central vertical pipe and four footings in the ground beneath the safety surfacing. The exterior equipment forms a square around the net climber and includes numerous play activities.

Climbers include a pinnacle rock boulder, orbiter spinner, corkscrew climber, track ride, conical climber, vertical ascent, chimney climber, loop pole, and cliff climber. Slides on the structure include a roller slide, cloudburst slides, wavy poly slides, curved slides and a tunnel slide that comes off a 96-inch deck. There are two transfer stations into the structure and the net climber is easily reached from the ground, ensuring accessibility for children with special needs. In addition to the existing mature trees and newly planted trees surrounding the playground, the structure contains two CoolTopper shade sails for additional shade.

A single unit of arch swings includes two bays of 6-12-year-old swings, two bays of preschool swings with one accessible bucket seat, and one tire swing at the center, which saves space by accommodating more than one child at a time. The Park District customized the swing bay into one long structure to conserve space.

Preschool Area & Swings
The preschool area features a more classic layout, with a main structure, ground components, and a sandbox. The preschool structure includes a clubhouse, crawl tunnel, loop arch climber, a curved slide, double slide, spiral slide, a belt bridge and an arch bridge. The structure is ground accessible, integrated into the sandbox, and includes a bead and block panel and a rock and ring panel. Freestanding ground components include a bee spring rider and an accessible ladybug spring rider (Little Tikes).

The swings presented another challenge for the Park District. Residents typically want more swings, which take up a lot of space and are more expensive because of the amount of surfacing required. The arch swings are connected together into one large unit, which includes two bays of 6-12-year-old swings, two bays of preschool swings (with one accessible bucket seat), and one tire swing at the center, which is a huge space saver, as it can accommodate more than one child at a time. By customizing the swings to be connected together, the park district decreased the amount of space the swings require.

Sandboxes present an ongoing challenge for the Park District, as they are always a popular play feature but can be messy and difficult to maintain. In Wilder Park's playground, the sandbox is surrounded by an 18-inch tall sitting wall (Rosetta Stone), which contains the sand and provides seating.

The main structure is separated from the preschool area by a sitting plaza with two game tables, two picnic tables, custom circle bench, and two shade trees with tree grates. There are also seven recycled plastic benches located throughout the playground to assure ample seating. A new drinking fountain adjacent to the playground includes an upright fountain, accessible drinking fountain, and pet bowl for dog walkers.

The playground is a kid magnet, and no matter the weather, visitors can always be found at the park, enjoying the space.