Up to 400 Tualatin children picked the colors, the climbing towers and the rockers for a new playground at Tualatin Community Park. Construction crews began building it Sept. 21.

The $581,000 rebuild at 8515 SW Tualatin Road is scheduled for completion in December, according to the city's project page. The project includes a mobility-device-accessible rocker and a rope climbing structure, The Oregonian first reported. Children voted on equipment and color themes during summer camps and at Viva Tualatin in summer 2025.

"They decided the colors … They decided which kind of tower (they) wanted, the type of climber, the type of rocker," project manager Kira Hein told the Valley Times in September when the closure was announced.

The new playground will feature four structures geared to ages 3–5 and 5–12, including a Ropeventure Vertex climbing structure with ropes and bars, a Rev8 spinner that blends a merry-go-round with a climbing frame, and an Innova Rocker. The rocker lets children of all physical and cognitive abilities play even while using mobility devices. A four-seat see-saw and a separate swingset area round out the equipment.

The old plastic train and train station cutouts are gone. In their place: a riverboat and a ticket counter attached to one of the play structures. The sand pit stays.

Bilingual educational panels atop one of the towers will highlight the Tualatin River and native animals and trees. The entire surface will be soft artificial turf instead of the previous ground cover.

Portland-based Buell Recreation, the same contractor that built the playground at Atfalati Park, is handling installation on the 7,000-square-foot footprint. A state Local Government Grant using lottery dollars brought the original $681,000 price tag down to $581,000. Tualatin's $5 monthly parks utility fee covers the rest.

The city expects the finished playground to hold about 200 children at a time, quadrupling the old capacity of roughly 50.

While construction continues, families can find nearby playgrounds at Atfalati Park in Tualatin and Cook Family Park in Tigard. No ribbon-cutting or grand opening event has been announced as of Oct. 13.

What's ahead

  • December 2026: Playground construction completion target
  • Atfalati Park and Cook Family Park: Open alternatives during construction