Time to press pause on the park plays. In a move that's sure to have local kids and hoopsters frowning, Meadowbrook Park is benching its playground and basketball court come Monday. Arlington's favorite spot for slide-swooshing and free-throw shooting is closing for a makeover, and it's not just any refurb; we're talking about a cutting-edge, all-inclusive playground for all the young at heart.

The city's gearing up to celebrate a century of parks and rec with a bang, and this construction's part of that noisy fanfare. The new facilities are set to swing open by Fall 2024, right in time for the Arlington Parks and Recreation's Centennial shindig. But let's not sugarcoat the pill here: there's a whole summer of scraped knees and half-court games that's got to find a new home.

Sure, inclusivity is the brass ring that all public spaces should be grabbing for, and this project is set to deliver that. We're talking about a playground that any kid, regardless of their abilities, can roll, run, or rumble around in. A Facebook post from April 14th drops a hint that the park will be quite the showpiece once it's done. “The playground is tentatively scheduled to open in Fall 2024 to coincide with Arlington Parks and Recreation's Centennial celebration,” beams the announcement on the City of Arlington.

Now, the down-and-dirty: when do the swings swing again, and the basketballs bounce? If all goes to plan—cross your fingers and hope for no oops in supply chains or weather whimsies—the kids will be back to claiming "first dibs" on the monkey bars by the leaves-turning season. So until then, let's keep the moan and groan on the low and look on the bright side.