It’s upgrade season! Hewett Park, located off W. McMillan Road in West Boise, now offers a brand-new playground and paved accessible pathways for visitors to explore. This long-anticipated update includes important playground enhancements to ensure everyone belongs at this unique neighborhood park.
Students from nearby Born to Succeed Early Care & Education Center joined Mayor Lauren McLean and City of Boise leaders to cut a ribbon and officially open the new playground and pathways connecting the community to the park.
“Every Boise kid deserves a fun and engaging playground close to home,” said Boise Mayor Lauren McLean. “Thank you to our Parks and Recreation team for prioritizing a variety of play experiences for families to enjoy, that are located in the heart of neighborhoods across our city.”
The new playground design combines all of the equipment into one play space, replacing the two outdated play spaces that previously kept kids apart at the park. It includes a round bird’s nest swing, interactive playhouse for imaginative play, various climbing structures, a sensory garden wall, and equipment for kids of a variety of ages and abilities to explore. The playground also features bonded rubber surface material, allowing for a safe, easy-to-navigate surface for people who use mobility devices. A drinking fountain with a dog water bowl is also available at the park.
“These upgrades have been long requested by the community and we are excited for families to enjoy a new and improved Hewett Park experience,” said Director of Boise Parks and Recreation Doug Holloway. “In addition to adding new park sites and playgrounds in underserved areas, we are committed to replacing and enhancing aging equipment across our park system. This location is a great example of efforts to make park enhancements in locations with large community benefits.”
Additionally, a concrete ADA accessible sidewalk extending from W. McMillan Road south to N. Oxbow Place was added at Hewett Park, establishing safe, easy transportation to the playground for everyone who visits. Previously, park visitors crossed the grass to access amenities at this location.
While these updates will benefit all park-goers, they’ll especially improve connectivity to Hewett Park for the 3,364 residents from 1,223 households within a 10-minute walk from the space. The City of Boise is dedicated to investing in its park system and a recent study completed by the non-profit Trust for Public Land shows public-private partnerships, park funding and open space preservation is driving economic vitality.
