Thanks to a grant from the Mysun Charitable Foundation, Forest Park's popular Turtle Playground received a bit of a facelift earlier this month. This improvement project included four major areas:

• Footpath restoration
  • Crews cleaned and installed new chip and seal surfaces.
• Turf restoration
  • Restoration included weeding, fertilizer and soil repairs. New sod was installed in heavily used areas. Forest Park Forever is working to establish a new long-term turf management plan with our partners at the City of St. Louis Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry.
• Irrigation system upgrades
  • New upgraded irrigation lines are now in place, along with a new automatic irrigation controller. New water lines were also installed to support the irrigation system and new drinking fountain.
• Installation of a new drinking fountain and bottler filler
  • New plumbing pipes and a heating system were installed within the comfort station building to support the new water lines and year-round operations. Because of these plumbing upgrades, visitors can now enjoy a new ADA-accesible, year-round drinking fountain that includes a bottle filler and a bowl for Park-visiting dogs.

Anne Elise Parks from Fox 2 News stopped by to see the improvements firsthand. You can watch the segment featuring an interview with FPF Strategic Communications Director Stephen Schenkenberg here. 

Additional information about Turtle Playground from Forestparkstatues.org:

Created by Bob Cassilly, founder of the unique and quirky City Museum, the sculptures range from seven to forty feet in length. Turtle Playground was designed by Richard Claybour and funded by Sonya “Sunny” Glassberg as a gift to the children of St. Louis. The turtles are named for her children and grandchildren. The area is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.