|Photo by Emma Delk| City officials, Newbridge Academy leadership, construction supervisors and architects for the project broke ground on Wednesday for the new downtown play space.

Wheeling children will soon be able to swing from tree to tree at a new 2,800-square-foot natural-based play area in Market Plaza.

The playspace was born from the collaboration between Newbridge Academy For Kids and the city, as Wheeling City Council allocated $201,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the project.

The playground is set to open in August, with the project’s groundbreaking held on Wednesday. The playspace’s opening will coincide with the opening of Newbridge Academy, a nonprofit childcare center run by Newbridge Church, formerly known as The Vineyard Church.

The academy, located at 1000 Main Street in the former Children’s Museum building, will provide 236 spots for full-day preschool and childcare services for children up to age 12. The outdoor playground will be located at the backside and be a part of the new childcare center.

The city will retain ownership of the playground, which will be open to the public during non-school hours at Newbridge Academy.

The childcare center will have sole access to the playground during operating hours. Newbridge Church Lead Pastor and Newbridge Academy Founder Chris Figaretti estimates the playspace will be open to the public after 6 p.m.

The play space will be located next to the Slave Auction Block marker at the corner of 10th Street and Market Street and span 2,800 feet horizontally across the plaza. According to Grae Con Construction Project Manager Jack Boston, the playground will be able to accommodate up to 50 children at a time.

The playground will not feature the typical plastic swings and slides but instead incorporate the natural elements of the area for activities. Children will be able to swing from platforms attached to trees using slack lines, crawl through an underground tunnel, walk across balance logs and jump across stumps placed into the ground.

The existing plaza trees and pavement will be used for the playground, and artificial grass will be installed in grassy areas.

According to Gabe Hayes, the project’s landscape architect, incorporating natural elements into the play space will support children’s mental health. He explained that the “unstructured play” the space provides will help children avoid nature deficit disorder, which occurs when adolescents spend less time outdoors than time looking at screens.

“This is not going to be the typical playground, but it is going to provide a different kind of play that is very much needed,” noted Hayes. “Kids being able to get into a little natural area and access to the trees and plants and walk or jump on logs is very important for their development.”

The playspace will also include a small track for children to walk, run and ride tricycles or bikes.

Boston added that safety will also be a consideration in the playground design, including platforms and ramps for children to climb safely on. A six-foot security fence will also encircle the playground.

Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott noted that the project will benefit children and families in Wheeling by using an underutilized downtown green space. Elliott added that ARPA funding could be allocated for the project since the playground fills a childcare gap in Wheeling and encourages the “utilization or activation” of outdoor spaces.

City Manager Bob Herron added that the space would add a “different dynamic” to the plaza, with kids playing in the area energizing the center of downtown.

Figaretti explained that the playground will “build a bridge” between the academy and the public, just as the playspace has built a bridge between academy leadership and city officials.

“As a church we are all about building bridges and to build those bridges and relationships with the city, donors, community partners and businesses in town who want childcare has been amazing,” noted Figaretti. “The way we and the city have worked together on the project is really significant.”