Photo courtesy of Eric Gray.

The City of Long Beach announced Monday that the first phase of planned renovations for Bixby Park will begin on Monday, July 6 with the construction of a new playground featuring a two-to-five-year-old play structure and a five-to-12-year-old play structure with climbing components and slides, sand play areas, eight swings, a cable climber, two universal access slides and an additional shaded seating area.

“The new playground at Bixby Park is an investment in our future,” said Mayor Robert Garcia in a press statement. “We take great pride in providing safe, fun areas for kids to play, and to live a healthy, active lifestyle.”

According to the release, the rest of Bixby Park will remain open during the construction, which is expected to be completed before Labor Day weekend.

“I’m thrilled to see the vision of residents and stakeholders to redesign Bixby Park take a major step forward,” said Vice Mayor Suja Lowenthal in a statement. “Bixby Park is the heart of the community and receives lots of visitors from throughout the city, especially on holidays.

She added the construction was deliberately scheduled between the Fourth of July and Labor Day for this reason.

As of March 2014, residents and stakeholders began working with architects and Parks, Recreation and Marine staff to update the Bixby Park Master Plan, redesign the playground and prioritize funding needs.

The playground renovation will include fencing around the construction area and the occasional closure of parking spaces and sidewalk areas to accommodate equipment and delivery. Construction hours will take place Monday through Friday from 7:30AM to 3:30PM and occasional Saturday hours.

The renovations will also include a fitness loop, with construction scheduled from July to August 2015 and a free-standing restroom, with construction scheduled from July through December 2015.

According to the announcement, funding for the entire project includes $1 million appropriated by the City Council for the FY 2014 Capital Improvement Program Budget and $250,000 in one-time funding from the Second Council District for Park Playground and Other Improvements.