Starting Wednesday, volunteers will transform a 12,000-square-foot vacant lot behind Mount Washington Elementary School into turtle slides, spider webs, tire swings and monkey bars.
The 1,000 Hands Project will bring the volunteers together, including people from the Tristate and as far away as Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
"I started thinking about the idea after a playground was built in Colerain Township last year," said Ken Peck, president of the Mount Washington Civic Association.
"I thought, "Why not in Mount Washington?' The playground is the result of splendid thinking in our community, and the cooperation of so many corporate sponsors and organizations."
Mr. Peck said building the playground is a way of promoting community spirit and togetherness. He said that with volunteers doing the work, it will get done quicker than trying to get it done by the city or state.
"Our problem is, we don't know how to use the system," Mr. Peck said. "I am a salesman and I know how to talk with people in the Mount Washington community and how to bring them together. But I don't know how to deal with government bureaucracy."
John Dean, senior designer for Leathers & Associates of Ithaca, N.Y., the firm hired as consultants, said more and more communities are learning how to build playgrounds themselves.
"We build about 100 playgrounds a year," Mr. Dean said. "All the work is done by volunteers, which cuts out practically all the labor cost. Most communities are learning that once they try to go through the government, the process gets bogged down and becomes victim of political maneuvering."
Leathers & Associates built the playground in Colerain Township last year. The company has also built playgrounds in Australia, Egypt, Alaska and Hawaii.
Mr. Dean said it takes about five days to build a playground, using from 1,500 to 2,000 volunteers.
The Cincinnati Recreation Commission owns the lot where the Mount Washington playground will be built.
Wayne Lurix, playground coordinator for CRC, said most of the material and equipment has been donated. He estimated that it will cost about $150,000 to build the playground.
Last week, a crew of CRC staffers was laying the foundation for the kickoff Wednesday.
Aside from the Mount Washington Civic Association, the school and CRC, project coordinators include United Way & Community Chest, and Life Success Seminars.
The idea caught on among the students at Mount Washington School. Mr. Dean said he visited the school to talk with the students.
"I wanted to see what kids think should be in a playground," he said. "I went from classroom to classroom and I was amazed at the ideas and the enthusiasm."
Daniel Szekeresh, 12; Alex Kesman, 12; and Lakeisha Sawyer, 13, were among the students who gave ideas.
"I suggested the spider web," said Daniel. "I remember seeing one at a huge playground in St. Paul, Minn. It stuck in my mind." Alex liked the tire swings: "I think it is so neat to swing on tires."
Lakeisha suggested the mirror maze. "I have been to one and it is fun to get lost and try to find your way out."
The students at Mount Washington School conducted a penny campaign and raised more than a thousand dollars for the playground.
Mr. Dean said the playground will include more than 36 wooden structures.
"This is not something taken from a catalog. These are ideas supplied by kids and local people who will be using it," Mr. Dean said.
Along with the spider web, tire swing and mirror maze, the playground will include an amphitheater, tube slide, wiggle bridge, river boat, climbing walls, tree fort, chain ladder, lookout tower, tunnel, dragon, chin-up bars and balance beams, all connected by chain and rubber bridges.
