SAVANNAH, Ga. — Families in Savannah, Ga., waiting on the new Signature Playground at Daffin Park will have to hold off a little longer while crews correct a drainage problem that left water standing on the site.
The inclusive, ADA-compliant play area sits in the northwest corner of the park. After it was first built, the city found that water was not draining the way it should and puddles were forming, so officials chose not to open it to the public until the problem is fixed.
Work began Oct. 6, when crews from the Capital Projects office started laying drainage pipe and regrading the ground back to its proper slope. The Recreation and Leisure Services department is overseeing the work and plans to confirm everything is working before children are allowed in.
An inspection is scheduled for Oct. 22, and the city expects to share its next update after that visit. City Community Services leaders have said an opening date should be announced in November once the site clears its final inspection.
The playground is the first of its kind in the city and was built so children of all abilities can play side by side. It is designed for ages 2 to 12 and includes a splash pad and several separate play zones. Its budget was set at about $1.4 million.
The project grew out of Recreation Reimagined, an effort Savannah City Council approved in 2021 to build and improve recreation spaces for residents. Since that vote, the city has put more than $4 million into recreation upgrades across Savannah.
Daffin Park is a central gathering spot in Midtown, the mid-century residential belt that links downtown with the southside suburbs, with Victory Drive, DeRenne Avenue and Waters Avenue as its main corridors. The park is also home to Historic Grayson Stadium, which was built in 1926 and rebuilt in 1941.
Until the new playground opens, the corner of the park where it sits remains closed to visitors while the repairs continue.
