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Pioneer Park in Mesa offers huge playground, fun for whole family

The playground alone is 9,000 square feet!
Pioneer Park in Mesa. (Photo: 12 News)

The city of Mesa recently finished some major upgrades at the iconic Pioneer Park near Main Street and Mesa Drive. The park closed in May and the project took several months to complete.

The playground alone is 9,000 square feet and part of that is an elevated ribbon walkway. It really makes you feel like you’re in a giant treehouse.

“This park literally goes back to the founding of Mesa,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles. “I love it, because I’ve loved this park my whole life.”

Mayor Giles grew up going to Pioneer Park.

“This is where anybody that’s my age, that grew up in Mesa, they have a real warm spot in their heart for Pioneer Park, so it’s especially rewarding for me to come back and see when I come here now, the place is covered with kids,” he said. “That’s a real special feeling.”

Before they renovated it, the park was a rough area.

“A lot of homeless folks like to hang out here, so we’re working with our homeless population and finding other places for them to be and so now … the turnaround of this park is dramatic,” said Mayor Giles. “We created all this brand-new, one-of-a-kind playground equipment … then the theme of it is 'like you’re up in a tree.' It’s a treehouse-themed playground.”

The renovations include a climbing wall, splash pad and water wall.

“I brought my granddaughter here, 6-year-old granddaughter. She said 'I can’t believe my eyes.' She said 'I feel like I’m in Disneyland,'" Giles said. "When you hear that, you know OK, we got it right when we redid this park,"

While Pioneer Park has many new amenities, two of its iconic features have been preserved.

The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers monument on the south end of the park has been updated to improve visibility and to restore the interactive nature of the monument. The city also worked to restore the historic Southern Pacific Engine #2355. It’s been at the park since 1958.

Other improvements include relocated basketball courts, updated horseshoe pits and remodeled restrooms.

The facelift was all made possible by Mesa voters through the 2012 Parks Bond. It totaled nearly $8 million dollars.

If you’d like to experience the park, Celebrate Mesa is this weekend. The free event is on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They’ll have plenty of games, carnival rides and even a petting zoo for you to enjoy.

For more information, visit Mesa Parks and Recreation website.

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