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Ann Arbor unveils design to replace Fuller Park playground with timber towers, nature play and improved accessibility
Summary
City of Ann Arbor staff presented a draft plan to fully replace the 1989 Fuller Park playground, preserving its timber character while adding features such as an inclusive spinner, boulder mountain, parkour course and accessible connections; a $125,000 gift from the University of Michigan helps fund the project and construction is estimated to begin around Labor Day.
City of Ann Arbor staff presented a draft plan to replace the Fuller Park playground, saying the existing timber structure “has therefore reached the end of its useful life.” Hillary Hansel, capital project manager for the city, and Marina Russio, assistant park planner, led the June presentation and solicited public feedback via an online survey and an in-meeting poll.
The plan aims to preserve the playground’s distinctive timber character while adding a broader range of play opportunities and improved accessibility. "We heard 216 responses," Russio said, summarizing early engagement results that favored keeping the timber towers, adding nature-play elements, and creating features usable by a wider range of ages and abilities.
Under the draft design, the playground would retain a timber-tower center but include a contemporary replacement with more climbing features and a large slide, a spinner with inclusive seating to accommodate transfers from wheelchairs, a boulder-mountain element with rope assists, a wooden parkour obstacle course for older children and teens, and a log-balance track and crawl tunnel to connect upper and lower terraces. A quieter toddler zone would include a playhouse, musical chimes and living willow huts for more enclosed, sensory-friendly play.
Staff also said the existing tire swing and a tech ball table would remain; an accessible path would better connect the tire swing and picnic tables to the main play area. Funding for the replacement is expected to come from a $125,000 gift from the University of Michigan with the remainder covered by the park maintenance and capital improvement millage.
Project staff asked for additional input while the plan is still being refined. The online survey is open through Friday evening, and staff said they will integrate public feedback to finalize the design and the project budget. Construction is estimated to begin around Labor Day to avoid peak summer use and proceed through the fall, pending final design and budget approval. Updates and the survey are posted on the City’s engagement page (engage.2gv.org).
