La Jollan Mary Coakley Munk, whose foundation spearheaded the repairs, thanked donors and the city of San Diego for the quick work ahead of summer.

Just in time for the first official weekend of summer, the playground at Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores has reopened after a renovation.

The damaged surfacing has been patched; failed equipment has been replaced; rusted roofs have been removed; structures have been repainted; and the shade sail has been resized and cleaned.

The playground had been closed off for many months as many parts were deemed unsafe.

Mary Coakley Munk, La Jolla Shores resident and founder of the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans, gathered donations for the $25,000 project and organized the work with the city of San Diego’s Parks & Recreation Department.

Thanks to Coakley Munk’s “remarkable dedication,” the work is finished and the playground is open, just as millions of visitors begin to head to The Shores for summer beach days, La Jolla Shores Association President John Pierce said June 18.

Parks & Rec “went overboard in getting more than we wanted done,” Coakley Munk said, also thanking the companies – including those at Dickerson Painting and Dan Mezich at SoCal Shade Sail – who “did a lot of good work” with the repairs and improvements, San Diego County for a grant and the donors who funded the project.

The donors, who include the Tom Page family, Puesto La Jolla, Beth Murray and La Jolla Sunrise Rotary, made it “possible to open the playground for the children to enjoy this summer,” Coakley Munk later told lajolla.ca. 

“The playground at Kellogg Park has been such a special place for our kids,” Puesto co-owner Eric Adler said, adding it was “heartbreaking” to find it closed down. “We’re thrilled to support the creation of a new playground where countless new memories will be made.”

© lajolla.ca