Payne Park to get Circus-themed Playground

Clowns, tigers and miniature big tops will soon adorn a new playground at in Sarasota.

Sarasota’s City Commission unanimously approved the purchase of $586,341 worth of new playground equipment with mini-big tops and flags, slides, tubes, swings and plenty of places to climb. The project is funded by the penny sales tax.

The park will also feature .

"Payne Park is ready for this now," Mayor Suzanne Atwell said. "It's very exciting."

City staff considered two options, but went with "Option B" because it could accommodate more kids playing, ease of maintenance and more affordable, said Neil Gains, capital projects manager for the city.

The playground will be able to accommodate 380 kids to jump, run, bounce and wear themselves out, said Phil Smith, landscape architect.

"Are you expecting a baby boom to facilitate this playload?" Commissioner Paul Caragiulo asked, jokingly.

"We were looking at a minimum of 150 kids of what we wanted to be able to use the playground at once," Gains said. "When we told the design professionals that did the concepts, one just had so many more play elements than the other."

For comparison, the county's  playground can accommodate at least 300 kids, Gains said.

Plans also call for landscaping, shading and security cameras, Gains said.

City officials expect final designs to be completed by the end of January and the playground should be ready to use by June 1, according to city documents.