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Dzantik’i Heeni Playground and two other parks expected to open this fall
- Jasz Garrett
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Two parks in Lemon Creek, one in Mendenhall Valley near completion
By Jasz Garrett
Juneau Independent
Three playgrounds are expected to open this fall after years of public input, according to an announcement last week by the City and Borough of Juneau.
The Dzantik’i Heeni Playground in Lemon Creek is expected to be complete later this fall. The construction contract for Dzantik’i Heeni’s playground was awarded for $855,410, according to city project manager Lisa EaganLagerquist. The total project budget is $1.3 million.
“We are doing our very best to open it as soon as possible and we are really excited to share it with the community because I think everyone’s really going to love it,” she said. “The purpose of the playground is, one, to serve the students at the programs that are hosted at that campus, and then also to provide more play area for the kids right in that immediate neighborhood.”
The original estimated completion date for the Dzantik'i Heeni Playground was October 2025. EaganLagerquist said funding was the main challenge in advancing the project.
The playground is partially funded by the Juneau Assembly, which approved $735,000 for site preparation last fall. The money went toward installing safety surfacing and fencing. In March, the Assembly approved $493,000 from the Juneau School District’s fund balance for the project.
The Benito and Frances C. Gaguine Foundation agreed to match up to $250,000 to help pay for part of the project. The Juneau Board of Education approved up to $180,000 in funding in January to help pay for playground equipment and match the foundation’s grant.
The school district also raised more than $70,000 through its “Buy a Brick” campaign it launched last fall. The purchased bricks will create a permanent pathway leading to the new playground.
The other hurdle for the project was timing.
“With any construction project through the city, we need to design it, and then we need to put it out to bid, and then you need to construct it over the summer,” EaganLagerquist said. “So once we missed the summer of 2025, then we knew we were aiming for the summer of 2026. And here we are.”
She added while the playground is expected to be in use this school year, its exact opening date is undetermined due to incorrect playground parts that need to be replaced.
“This week we’re installing the safety surfacing pile, and we’re also still installing the fencing,” she said. “But by the end of next week we hope to just be waiting for some required replacement parts.”
EaganLagerquist said there could also be a partial opening of the park depending on when parts arrive.
Neighborhood meetings were held back in 2024 to receive feedback from neighborhood families and families of students attending programs at Dzantik’i Heeni on what they wanted the playground to include.
“Some students told us they wanted a lot of slides, and there’s some really amazing slides. There’s one that’s really wide and will fit like three to four kids across,” EaganLagerquist said. “Also, there was really a request to make the play area accessible. So we have a concrete sidewalk, and we have these safety surfacing tiles that make it very accessible for students — or anyone — with low mobility. So anyone using a wheelchair or a walker will be able to reach the play equipment and there’s some transfer stations, so that’s very exciting.”
She said another feature of the Dzantik’i Heeni Playground is a communication board.
“It’s going to have a whole bunch of pictures of common words you might use on a playground,” EaganLagerquist said. “So if someone is nonverbal, instead of not being able to talk, they’ll be able to go to the communication board and point to the word of what they would like to share.”
EaganLagerquist said other planned components include a “cozy dome,” offering students a quieter spot to retreat to, and a “friendship swing.”
The playground is split into two sides. Part of it is fenced off for two- to five-year-olds and the other is geared toward kids between five years old and 12 years old.
Since the district consolidated schools in 2024, the Dzantik’i Heeni campus has hosted students ranging from preschool through high school. It was formerly the Dzantik’i Heeni Middle School, so it didn’t need a playground for recess.
Since Montessori Borealis, Juneau Community Charter School and Yaaḵoosgé Daakahídi High School moved into the building, students and their families have been eagerly awaiting a playground.
“It’s very fun looking, but please don’t enter,” EaganLagerquist said. “It’s not done. Some of the parts we are waiting for are structural, and so it’s really important that everyone stays off the equipment until it’s open because it’s not safe.”
However, construction is complete at the nearby Sigoowu Ye Park with new playground equipment, upgraded pathways, enhanced lighting and improved landscaping.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and community barbecue is planned for “Fun Place Park” on Aug. 29 from 12 to 2 p.m. It first opened to the public on Friday and is located at 5921 Pine St. in Lemon Creek.
Updates to Sigoowu Ye began in 2023 when Parks and Recreation began collecting feedback on safety improvements and accessibility. Most park updates were completed last fall, but surfacing was delayed to this summer due to weather and contractor availability.
Si’t Tuwan Park is also expected to open this month, located in the Mendenhall Valley between Threadneedle and Kanat’a Deyi St. The name means “beside the glacier” in Lingít. The park’s updates include new play equipment for multiple age groups, picnic tables and a basketball court.
Playground structures have been built, and contractors will work on surfacing next before carrying out final landscaping and design. This site remains closed as construction continues.
The upgrades to Sigoowu Ye and Si’t Tuwan are estimated to cost around $900,000 each, according to Marc Wheeler, director of Parks and Recreation. The playgrounds were funded by sales tax dollars. Sigoowu Ye also received a $125,000 grant from the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
• Contact Jasz Garrett at jasz@juneauindependent.com or (907) 723-9356.
