Children and everyone who is a child at heart will be the big beneficiaries of the latest major community-led project in Abita Springs. An extraordinary playground is being built this week along the banks of the Abita Creek, a stone’s throw from the new trailhead plaza and museum.

The 16,000-square-foot development will include about 50 different play elements, said Greg Lemons, founder and treasurer of Friends of the Park, the new non-profit, volunteer organization spearheading the project.

Plans show various types of slides and swings, decks, tunnels and ladders. There’s an Abita Wildlife Climbing Wall, Possum’s Tree House, a Monkey Swing Maze, Sacred Chimes, the Bear Claw Trading Post, an Abita Springs River Monster, a stage with theatre seating, the New Camellia Tot Ship complete with a smoke stack ladder, and a zip line above a “swamp” inhabited by a giant rubber alligator.

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Handicapped accessible stairs and ramps will help ensure that no child is left out of the fun. There are also Choctaw Drums, a Choctaw Palmetto House, a Choctaw Canoe, a Choctaw Medicine Lodge and much more.

“We wanted to try to make it like a Choctaw village, because that’s what Abita is,” said Lemons.

The park was designed by Learning Structures Inc. with help from the community.

“We hired Learning Structures to design and build the playground,” said Lemons. “They created lists. And they’re supervising on-site. We also used ideas from children at Abita Elementary and Abita Middle School. The kids drew pictures, and we tried to incorporate as many as possible into the actual design. One thing they wanted was a tire monster. That will be the river monster. We’re working on it now.”

Scores of volunteers were spread out across the park Wednesday morning working on a number of different elements of the playground project. The blitz was on, Lemons said.

“We’re on a very aggressive schedule,” said Lemons. “We’re gonna do this thing in a week. We’ll still need to put in lights and do the landscaping after we’re done. We’ll use a sand cover because we know parts of this area flood.”

The FOP Playground is being built for the people by the people, he said.

“This is a $140,000 project,” said Lemons. “If it wasn’t community-built it could have been $250,000. We’re doing this with the cooperation of the town of Abita Springs and lots of sponsors who donated money and time. This is a true community project.”

About 80 volunteers took part in the build Tuesday, he said. David VanderMeer, who lives just outside Abita Springs city limits, showed up ready to work before 8 a.m. Wednesday.

“This is the only day I could come,” he said. “I wanted to see if I could help. It seems like a good project. We’re transplants from New Orleans, and we want to get active in the community.”

Area firefighters, parish prisoners, youth groups, senior citizens, friends, neighbors and even a dog named Moon were working under the trees in the heat of the morning.

They toiled to help create a safe environment where children can run and play, where their imaginations can be stimulated and their muscles exercised.

FOP spokesperson Sheri Campbell said the playground should be open to the public Sunday.

“I hope to see children playing here when we finish Sunday evening,” she said. “And I hope the weather cooperates.”

Everyone is invited to join in the celebration.

The playground is the first project for the FOP, which is dedicated to developing, funding and implementing park and beautification projects in and around the town of Abita Springs.

“Next we’re going to do a nature trail across the creek,” said Lemons. “We’re also going to do a wetlands interpretive area. And we’re going to build a pocket park on St. Charles Street.”

But this week the focus was on the playground. Sponsorships are still available. For additional information, call 789-1537 or visit Abitafriendsofthepark.org.