The first pieces have arrived for Olympic View Church’s park project “The Gathering Ground.”

Church organizers announced last year plans to build an inclusive playground at the northwest corner of Fir Street and Brown Road so children of all abilities can play beside one another.

It’s also intended for people of all ages, such as grandparents, to enjoy with grandchildren.

Heidi Johnson, a playground committee member, said it’s an exciting project.

“To see it come to fruition after all the equipment was unloaded is pretty amazing,” she said.

Johnson and other volunteers helped unload a truck filled with equipment from Missouri on June 12; they inventoried hundreds of items from slides to poles to nuts and bolts. Those pieces will all be stored away until the site is prepped for installation this summer.

Those interested in helping with installation can call the church at 360-683-7897.

Pastor Lewis Godby said the church’s playground committee opted to switch phases around on the project so they could have more equipment in the first phase.

“We wanted to get even more things for kids to play on right away,” he said. “We felt it’d have more of an immediate impact and visibility.”

The first phase will feature a swing set, two ziplines, a preschool play set, a level-to-the surface merry-go-round, a cyclone pyramid and four instruments.

Godby said the play area will use Fibar engineered wood chips so that wheelchairs and walkers can traverse it.

Once funding is secure for a pavilion in phase 2, and concrete log and hill/slide play structures in phase 3, they’ll replace the wood fibers with poured-in place rubber as phase 4, he said.

Excavating started in April with Catelli’s Excavating, and Rossi Construction put finishing touches on the concrete last week that encompasses the whole play area. Godby said the companies donated some of their labor and time, too.

The first phase of equipment cost about $130,000 and comes from Miracle Recreation Equipment Company, who makes the equipment in-house.

In total, there will be about 10,000 square feet of playground space, Godby said, and the equipment will be installed by volunteers — saving the church about $100,000 in labor.

Johnson said they’re still gathering funds for the next phases, and awaiting word on some grants.

She feels that switching around the phases gives more immediate usage to the community and opportunities for children to play.

“This is for the community,” Johnson said. “And there’s a lot of potential for a lot of cool things to happen here.”

Playground committee members opted to put up small mounds instead of fencing, Godby said, to be more inviting while still keeping it enclosed enough so that small children can’t run out easily.

Johnson, who has been in Sequim about four years, said while living in California she noticed several inclusive playground structures in her area.

“When my kids were younger, there was no place for everyone to all play together so that resonated with me,” she said.

Fellow volunteer Jessica Piper got the project idea started when she saw a boy at the church in a wheelchair unable to play on the playground, and she discussed that with her husband and they brought an idea to Godby, leading to the formation of the committee and The Gathering Ground concept.

Johnson said the playground’s accessibility encompasses all-ages too, so that a grandparent with a walker can take their grandchild to the playground too.

“It’s a place where everyone can go,” she said.

Donations to the project are tax-deductible and for more information about The Gathering Ground at Olympic View Church, 503 N. Brown Road, email to gatheringgroundsequim@gmail.com or visit gatheringgroundsequim.com.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ In total, The Gathering Ground covers about 10,000 square feet of area for inclusive play structures and a pavilion.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Noel Rich and Heidi Johnson catalogue playground equipment on June 12 for The Gathering Ground playground at Olympic View Church.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Rossi Construction workers acid wash the concrete surfaces at Olympic View Church’s The Gathering Ground on June 12.

Image courtesy Olympic View Church/ Most of the structures for The Gathering Ground at Olympic View Church will be installed this summer, followed by a pavilion, concrete play structures, and rubber surfacing once funding is secured.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Volunteers Kait Saffold, Warren McMasters and Phil Milliman catalogue nuts and bolts for The Gathering Ground playground on June 12. The inclusive playground features equipment that children of all abilities can play on.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash Volunteers Kait Saffold, Phil Milliman and Warren McMasters catalogue nuts and bolts for The Gathering Ground playground on June 12. The inclusive playground features equipment that children of all abilities can use.