The Playground Status

Julie’s Jungle began in 2012 and, since its inception, our all-volunteer organization has raised over $700,000 through individual donations, fundraising events, and grants. Phase I of the playground opened to the public in July 2016 and Phase II was completed in 2018. The original plan to build Julie’s Jungle began with an 8,000 sq. ft. layout and quickly expanded to over 16,000 sq. ft. of play area.

In 2021 we built and opened a 6,000 sq. ft. sensory garden complete with a landscape waterfall, butterfly cage, gazebo, and more.

The main feature, which makes the playground most accessible, is the rubberized safety surfacing throughout the entire playground. The surfacing alone accounts for approximately 35% of the total project cost.

While we know that not all children will be able to utilize all aspects of the playground it is our goal to assure that there is something for every child to experience. Specialized play equipment and surfacing is approximately three-times more expensive than traditional playground equipment. Therefore, it took many years and many fundraising events to raise the funds that we did.

Today, in 2022, we continue to add special features to Julie’s Jungle. We have new signage being added soon, as well as a few fun pieces to the garden. The funds that we continue to raise help to replace some of the worn pieces and add new features as well.