The Atherton City Council will consider whether to build a new play structure for older children in its only public park.

When Holbrook-Palmer Park's older children's play structure (for ages 5-12) was found to be in need of repairs due to structural problems last February, the City Council moved to fund over $65,000 in upgrades and survey the community about a potential purchase of a new structure.

The repairs, part of what's called the Holbrook-Palmer Park Access and Circulation Improvements project, were recently completed and the play structure reopened in August, Director of Public Works Robert Ovadia said.

"This project was partially funded with funds from Santa Clara County and the California Parks Department," he added.

Stanford Mitigation funds are administered by Santa Clara County and were part of an agreement between San Mateo and Santa Clara counties that saw several projects funded by the university including the Holbrook-Park Park repairs.

The need for repairs was found last February during a routine inspection that found "significant deterioration" and then led to a subsequent taping off of the playground for safety reasons.

Early feedback favors swings, upgraded restrooms

Input from the community has revealed what locals would like to see if the playground is completely rebuilt and how often they visit.

At the time that initial repairs were discussed during a city council meeting, Ovadia said building a new structure would be about twice the cost of the repairs alone (roughly $150,000 to $200,000) due to the cost of installations.

A survey revealed that a little over 80% of those who responded thus far visit the park at least once a month, with over 42% visiting weekly.

Most respondents are also hoping to see swings added if a new structure is built at the park, as well as upgraded restrooms.

When asked what sort of theme for the potential new playground they would prefer, the most popular answer was "nature inspired," with a traditional or fitness-focused structure trailing.

Shade was also a high priority for many who visit the park.

Participants in the survey were also asked about preferences for color in the new structure and 66% responded with a green/tan/brown color scheme.

While a majority of visitors come from within Atherton (53%), 31% are from Menlo Park and 13% are from Redwood City.

Other changes that may be coming to the park include pickleball courts, which Atherton residents strongly supported in a survey last year.

The survey for the playground will remain open until the end of January, after which the City Council will discuss the possibility of funding a new playground.

Related story: After finding structural problems, Atherton council OKs $70K in repairs to Holbrook-Palmer Park playground