Wildcat Park Past and Future

In 1987, Wilson School staff and families mounted an effort to build a school and community playground. They wanted something special and unique to Corvallis. They heard about playgrounds in Grants Pass and Medford that had been designed by a company in New York called Leathers Associates. The company specialized in playgrounds designed with extensive input from kids and built (in 1989) by community volunteers.

Bob Leathers came to Wilson School and talked to the children for a day. He went to every classroom and listened to what the kids wanted in a park. The children got the opportunity to see how a playground designer worked and the design was unveiled that evening to the community in a public meeting held in the schools gym.

The whole community got involved in the fundraising. A Rotary club held an auction and dance, Wilson students collected 1.5 million pennies, volunteers held a spaghetti dinner and others collected bottles and cans. The total raised was $80,000.

Once the fundraising was complete, it was time to build the park. The steering committee organized everyone according to their skill level. Some wielded hammers and saws, others prepared food for the volunteers, and still others took care of children so their parents could work. The OSU football team contributed by setting the main pilings for the play structure. The park was built in five days and the entire community shared in the celebration of its completion.

In early 2006 the Corvallis School District and the City Parks and Recreation Department determined that multiple safety issues with the park warranted its closing. The announcement was met with dismay from children and families all over Corvallis and so a group of supporters came together to mount a campaign to rebuild the park.

The plan is underway and once again the whole community will be invited to participate through raising money and building the park.