An indoor playground planned for the Monon Community Center is set to be unlike any other in the state.
It won’t be the first project in Carmel designed by Connecticut-based Luckey LLC, which is known for its netting-enclosed climbing structures that can be built over any type of surface. But unlike most other Luckey playgrounds, including the one along the Monon Greenway in Midtown, this one will include slides and lighting features that activate as children climb.
The $3.3 million project is set to be constructed in the KidZone and adjacent multipurpose room west, which formerly housed a cafe. CCPR officials are still working to identify full funding for the renovation, but they plan to have it open within two years.
“It will be especially beneficial for families on days like today when it’s incredibly cold and not as enjoyable to be out in the parks,” CCPR Director Michael Klitzing told the Carmel City Council during a presentation at the council’s Dec. 5 meeting.
The KidZone, which offers child care for MCC members while they work out or otherwise use the facility, will continue to offer services during designated times in the new space. There will also be open hours for the new playground when MCC members and guests with a day pass can visit.
Klitzing said CCPR aims for the indoor playground to help “flatline” MCC membership levels, which tend to rise in the summer when The Waterpark is open and peak again around New Year’s Day.
CCPR has been looking to add an indoor playground to the MCC for several years, but the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the project.
