BOARDMAN — The SAGE Center on Nov. 14 announced plans for a new all-ages playground adjacent to their facility on Northeast Olson Road.

With agricultural-themed equipment and a focus on accessibility for young people of all abilities and ages – from toddlers to teenagers – the new and improved playground will better serve local families, tourists and the nearly 4,000 students who visit the center with school groups each year.

“This new project continues the SAGE Center’s focus on providing a safe place for kids to come learn and explore,” said Torrie Griggs, operations manager for the SAGE Center and executive director of the Boardman Chamber of Commerce.

The facility will be renamed Threemile Canyon Farms Park, in recognition of a leadership donation from the local business that will cover about half of the project’s $100,000 price tag. The SAGE Center, which is owned by the Port of Morrow, is actively raising funds for the remainder of the park’s cost, Griggs said.

“We’re proud to be part of this community, and to support Eastern Oregon with this donation. The SAGE Center does an incredible job explaining the importance of agriculture to our region, and this park will be a great continuation of that work,” said Jeff Wendler, general manager of livestock operations at Threemile Canyon Farms. “I hope other local businesses can join us in supporting this project.”

“We’ll be able to triple the size of the park, bring it up to the accessibility standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and add new features including toddler swings and shade structures,” said Griggs, explaining the final details are being settled. Playground equipment that’s on the site now was installed in 2013 with a limited budget and is showing its age. New equipment will be sensory friendly, and wheelchairs will be able to better traverse the new surfaces.

Work on the new playground is expected to begin in the spring, and the equipment that’s being phased out will be removed during the summer school break. Griggs said she hopes to be celebrating the park’s reopening by the start of the 2024-25 school year.