City leaders and members of the community broke ground on a new welcome center and playground for Wildwood Park on Thursday in the latest step of ongoing development at the park.

The welcome center will be approximately 2,000 square feet and contain men's, women's, and family restrooms along with storage space and an office. It will also include a covered patio area. The playground will include two play areas with equipment such as tree swings, turf mounds, and musical components for ages 2-5 and 5-12. Both are expected to be complete in May of 2023.

"Today, we recognize the start of the next projects at Wildwood," Mayor P.J. Connelly said. "The welcome center and playground will provide visitors with another option for enjoyment while also adding to the attraction of Wildwood as a destination for special events."

The welcome center was designed by The East Group and BW Architecture and is being built by Hudson Brothers Construction.  The construction contract is for $1,145,500. The playground was designed by Cunningham Recreation in coordination with The East Group. Cost of construction for the playground will be $417,938.