Project Swing in downtown St. Augustine, located at Francis Field between the City of St. Augustine tennis courts and the parking garage, was closed on May 26, 2021 due to safety issues. The wooden playground was originally built in 1997 by residents of St. Augustine. The SWING part of the name stands for St. Augustine’s Wish for Its Next Generation. The park is owned by the City of St. Augustine and ongoing maintenance has taken place for the past 24 years.
A city representative said on Thursday, May 27 that the playground is not going away and that they are planning to celebrate the park’s 25th anniversary in 2022.
“The structure was inspected recently by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) and was found to have safety hazards,” explained Melissa Wissel, Communications Director with the City of St. Augustine.
“The City has no intent to remove or destroy the playground. We understand the value it brings to the St. Augustine community and visitors.”
The playground repairs will be discussed at an upcoming St. Augustine City Commission meeting. Public input on the improvements can be emailed to projectswing@citystaug.com
“We will need community support, much like what was done in 1997 when the community came together to build it,” Wissel said. “Because of the maintenance that has been done over the years, it has lasted longer than expected — which was estimated at 20 years.”
About the Park – from https://www.citystaug.com/Facilities/Facility/Details/Project-SWING-14
Located at Francis Field, immediately across from the Historic Downtown Parking Facility, St. Augustine’s Wish for Its Next Generation (SWING) and was a community project built in 1997.
Amenities
The 23,000 square foot playground area has the following structures:
- Parallel bar
- Pavilion
- Slides
- Swings
- Tire swings and various interactive play/exercise equipment
- Wooden forts and towers
This photo shows Project SWING in downtown St. Augustine, which was closed for repairs in March 2015. The park closed again on May 26, 2021 due to safety hazards, and will be repaired for the 25th anniversary in 2022.
