by Divya Kumar
News Editor

The wooden castle-like structure, the maze-like tunnels, the wood chips and carvings that adorn the fence: all these are among the familiar aspects that most Coppellians can recognize as the well-loved Kid Kountry Park. Over the many years that the area has stood standing at Andy Brown West Park, it has evolved into one of the major landmarks that many can recognize as distinctive to the city. For this reason, the idea of ever tearing down this park and recreating it in a different manner is a horrifying thought to many citizens that is in the process of becoming true.

The Coppell Park Board is in the early stages of planning for a replacement of the Kid Kountry Playground, an idea that has been developing for the past three to four years. The decision has been made after careful consideration of factors that need to be replaced and the issue of utility versus community bonds.

“The wood has begun showing signs of deterioration,” Director of Parks and Recreation Brad Reid said. “The builder of these types of playgrounds has informed the city that they anticipate the life of these units will be about 12 to 15 years; Kid Kountry is now 18 years old.”

Though there are obvious detriments to maintaining the park as it is, many of those living in Coppell, whether they are adults who remember taking their children there or students who remember going there as a child, are perturbed by the idea of remodeling Kid Kountry.

“I used to go to Kid Kountry all the time when I was younger,” senior Sydney Kapp said. “I remember visiting for field trips in middle school, too.  Whether we went there just to run through the mazes or for “environmental study” for school trips, the park has made its way as a big symbol for the community because it’s been around so long and we all have personal attachments to it.”

The planning, fundraising and construction of the replacement for Kid Kountry is estimated to take about a year. The construction of the actual playground itself is dependent upon the type of material that the board ends up choosing and the number of people that volunteer to assist with the construction. Though no material has been chosen for sure, one of the main concerns that most students see is the loss of the wood, which adds to the unique look of the park.

“I remember how much fun it would be running around the inside of the structure at the park and hiding from people and then realizing they were sneaking up because of the creaking of the wood,” senior Jeanne Feng said. “The wood’s just been a symbol of the park itself. It’s got it’s own distinct style and feel and smell that make it what it is; rebuilding it in plastic completely gets rid of that feeling.”

For the current situation of rebuilding, the Coppell Park Board has established a group of citizens from Coppell to look into types of material and playground structures for the replacement. While there are attempts to retain the community bond that has formed with the original look of the park, there are serious safety issues that also must be taken into consideration.

“The group is very aware of the community attachment to the playground,” Reid said. “However, there are a number of considerations that enter into the decision regarding the type of playground that will ultimately be chosen. [They have to take into account] safety, maintenance and sustainability of the unit in years to come.”

Most of the outrage towards the rebuild of the park comes from the teenage population in Coppell; while there are adults who also regret the loss of the original Kid Kountry, there are other sentiments that they may feel that correlate to those demonstrated by the Board.

“I remember taking my older daughter to that park multiple times as she was growing up,” Coppell mother Alpana Dubey said. “Over the years we have built an attachment towards the unique things that Kid Kountry has. But at the same time, I can tell when I take my younger daughter to the park, that there are some parts of it that may need replacement just by the years of rain and poor weather that the wood has faced. I understand the desire to keep the original feel of the park, but I’d rather it be a safe and fun place for my daughter to play and look just a little bit different than one that’s just there that can’t be played on because of safety issues, rotting away, for sentimental value.”

Though Coppell is home to several park areas, many students feel that Kid Kountry is the one that they have the most emotional attachment towards. Whether it be because it is one of the oldest parks around or because of the unique facets it has that others in the city do not – such as tire swings, musical toys and multiple climbing units – it has been well established that the park is among one of the most unique in the city.

“Kid Kountry has so much inside of it that make it more than just a playground,” junior Roshni Patel said. “There are little xylophone things for kids to hit, climbing areas with ropes and tires, “phone booths” that wire across the park, moving blocks of wood for kids to jump across – so many things that you can’t find at a regular school playground. When they rebuild the park, it’s important that they remember to keep these things in it, rather than adding things like more slides and swings, because they’re some of the most vital parts.”

The Park Board understands the emotional attachment that several of the citizens of Coppell have developed towards the playground over the years that it has been present. The Board plans on recreating the park in an almost identical manner that it was originally built and continue to take all considerations of retaining the memory of the park while making it a safer place for children to play.

“Just as was done in the original build [in 1992], the Board would rely heavily on community involvement to guide an updated Kid Kountry,” Reid said. “[The Board] understands that Kid Kountry was built by the community for the community, and is committed to ensure it stays that way.”