WESTMINSTER : Sigler Park’s Modern Playground Finished

Gone are the rusty slide and rickety swings children have enjoyed for years at Sigler Park. In their place is a bright, modern playground, complete with the city’s first wheelchair-accessible facilities.

“We’re real excited about it,” said Charlene Lent, the city’s assistant director of community services and recreation. “It’s meeting the needs of all the kids in the neighborhood now. Anyone can come and use the facility; there are no barriers.”

The playground design meets the standards set by the American Disabilities Act, requiring all renovations made with state funds to be accessible to the handicapped. Huntington Beach and Irvine are also updating their parks to comply with the act.

The city has spent about $375,000 to refurbish the park, and has received money from a community development grant, city park dedication funds, state park funds and an urban park grant from the county, Lent said.

The renovated park now features two separate lots, one for toddlers and one for 7- to 12-year-olds, lighted basketball courts, a covered patio and park furniture, as well as new landscaping and irrigation.

“We saw the neighborhood needed two separate lots,” Lent said. “Now we have the tot lots and an area where older kids and adults can play too.”

The park was officially completed last week, and the City Council is expected to accept it at its July 13 meeting.

Lent said the park, which has taken three years to renovate, has been well received by the public. “We’re hoping to foster pride in the neighborhood, and pride in the park.”