Summit residents have until Friday, November 6, to settle a $500,000 question: which of two new playground designs should rise at Soldiers Memorial Field. The Summit Department of Community Programs is asking locals to review renderings from two manufacturers, GameTime and Kompan, and cast a single vote for their favorite before the window closes.
The call for votes went out through a city of Summit announcement, which tells residents they are invited to review the two proposed designs and vote for their favorite using an online form by Friday. That form limits participation to one vote per person, requires a first and last name along with a Summit address, and includes space for additional feedback, according to reporting from TAPinto Summit. Voting is limited to Summit residents.
Two Very Different Play Structures
The GameTime rendering shows a tall, peaked-roof play structure with green tube slides and separate climbing equipment, per TAPinto Summit's description of the proposals. The Kompan rendering, meanwhile, shows a tower with a long slide, boulder-style climbing structures, swings and a lower play structure. Both playground designs hover around the $500,000 mark, according to the Summit Community Programs website, which also notes that additional views and renderings of each design are posted on the department's site.
The two options emerged after the department engaged with the manufacturers following more than 200 responses to a summer survey, the same source states. Officials had planned to use feedback gathered by August 1 to develop a site plan, and the resulting project builds on community input that also included reactions from IDEAS classes at Brayton and Franklin Schools. Planning materials identify athletic and obstacle-course-style elements as a goal for the new Memorial Playground, which would sit within the 25-acre Soldiers Memorial Field complex.
A $310,000 Funding Gap Remains
Money is the open piece of the puzzle. The department says it has $190,000 available from past budgets, but with either design priced near $500,000, that leaves roughly $310,000 still to secure. Summit Community Programs says it will be fundraising and requesting the remainder of the funds needed as part of the department's 2027 Capital Budget.
There's some murkiness around exactly how much has already been earmarked. The Summit Community Programs page states that the Common Council approved $200,000 toward the Memorial Playground in the 2025 Capital Budget, while a separate account reported by Patch quotes Assistant Director of Community Programs David Guida describing $200,000 set aside in the capital budget to evaluate conditions at Memorial Playground. It isn't clear from available records whether those figures describe the same pot of money or two separate allocations.
Part of a Larger Playground Push
Memorial Field's redesign is one piece of a broader playground effort across Summit. Officials had outlined plans for three new playgrounds to open by the end of 2026, per Patch's earlier report. That includes the East Summit Playground, a $370,000 project funded through grants and donations and designed with a smaller, neighborhood-style footprint meant to serve nearby streets while reducing traffic impacts.
Patch also reported that Mabie Playground was expected to open in late June after delays tied to drainage issues and the removal of a large tree stump, while Tatlock Playground was nearing completion around the same time. The citywide push hasn't been without pushback — the same Patch report detailed one resident's complaint that senior residents are being overlooked as the city continues to invest in recreation spaces for younger families.
For now, the Memorial Field decision rests with whoever fills out the form by Friday. The city has not indicated when the winning design might move toward construction or how quickly the remaining funding gap could be closed.
