Three decades of Concord children grew up racing beneath the rainbow cupolas and wooden bridges of Monkey Around Playground. On Tuesday night, they said a final farewell to White Park’s play space — then celebrated the new, accessible structure set to take its place.

Toddlers Juliana and Evelyn Chiumento trotted across the soft groundcover in matching sun hats. According to their father, Jared, they loved the swings and towers — but two-year-old Evelyn, who has dwarfism, will benefit from the smaller equipment included in the new playground’s design. She laughed as she climbed into a low wooden tower and peeked at him through its wooden frames.

Across the park, Linda Graham observed the creaking swings and buzz of activity with a more bittersweet smile. She participated in volunteer efforts to build the original playground in 1994. Decades later, the slide she decorated to look like a dragon’s mouth still entertains neighborhood children. 

“I’m of the generation that loves this wooden structure,” Graham said. “I love the mystery of it. I love these little buildings that they could go into and hide in.”

The send-off for Monkey Around and the start of its new chapter has been more than a decade in the making. Even with the charm of the park’s design, wear and tear on the wood meant the structure required continual upkeep over the years. Splinters became a more serious problem, and the hidey-holes made some parents uneasy.

Concord’s City Council began considering renovation in 2015, but high costs made a complete redesign of the playground seem more worthwhile. The Friends of White Park began working with the Concord Parks and Recreation Department to seek community input on new proposals.

Access became an early priority, and it shows in the final design. The new playground will be the city’s first fully accessible one, featuring poured-in-place surfacing more easily navigable by mobility aids, wheelchair-accessible swings, small play areas and elevated walkways.

“No matter your ability or disability, you'll be able to access everything,” Parks and Recreation Director David Gill explained.

 A $400,000 Land and Water Conservation grant covered nearly half the playground’s budgeted cost, and the City of Concord contributed another $350,000. The Friends of White Park helped raise the remaining $111,640 through a collection of fun runs, cornhole tournaments, auctions and “flamingo flock” fundraisers. More than $60,000 of those crowd-sourced dollars came at the eleventh hour: When costs went us as construction time neared, the organization and city leaders pulled off a time-crunched funding drive.

The project is expected to take roughly six to eight weeks from demolition to grand opening. Though the current playground will remain open through Sunday, Tuesday marked the last visit for many families, who spent the afternoon sharing memories and snow cones.

Eight-year-old Etta Barnett, who can now swing proudly across the monkey bars by herself, still remembers needing help to reach them. Her mother, Bronwyn, said the park was “a special place” for their family.

“We moved to Concord for many reasons, but the parks had a lot to do it, how clean they were and how beautiful they were,” Bronwyn said. “White Park in particular was very charming, and we’re thrilled that it’s going to be an all-inclusive park.”

For others, the evening had a full-circle nostalgia. Katie Buchanan, who pushed her 18-month old daughter on the same swings that her husband grew up on, mentioned how grateful she was for the shared memories the park had given her family.

A few aspects of the playground’s new design, including its bright blue-and-green color scheme, have sparked debate on community Facebook pages. Some parents have lamented the loss of the wooden character and raised questions about what will happen to the old signs and materials.

But at a table near the playground entrance, Marjorie Hall sat in her wheelchair and studied posters with the new renderings. As someone who has visited the park often as an adult, she marveled at the coming accessibility features.

“It’s surely a new age,” Hall said. “It’s absolutely wonderful.”

Abby DiSalvo can be reached at adisalvo@cmonitor.com