Yesterday afternoon, my friend and Roosevelt resident, Allan, alerted me to the following scene at the Dahl Field Playground (7700 25th Ave. NE):

Big fence!

No swings!

Even the merry-go-round and all the gravel is affected!

A twitter inquiry from me to @SeattleParks soon followed, and I heard back from Joelle Hammerstad with the Communications Office at Seattle Parks and Recreation that evening:

Seattle Parks and Recreation will begin swing set replacement at Dahl Playground on Oct 13.  The four-seat swing set will be replaced with six swings. Four are 10 feet high (same as current swings), and two are eight feet high.  The work is being done for safety and accessibility.  The project will be complete by November 9.  Signs have been posted informing users (who can read, and their parents for those who cannot!) of the work.

So there we go, Allan, and other concerned parents (and kids): The swings SHALL RETURN.

As for the removal of the pea gravel under both the (missing) swing set and the merry-go-round, my guess is that the ubiquitous wood chips will be their replacement.  There were also some signs of some drainage-related construction (or some terribly uninspired graffiti, but I assume the former):

Note the step down due to the missing gravel

Ravenna Blog would LOVE to post your updates to the playground construction*.  Just send us a note via email or in the comments below.

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*Our Playground Beat Reporter will try to get there herself a few times during the construction, but usually she’s rather distracted watching Playground Beat Reporter Jr.