BY JASON WESSELDYK
SPORTS EDITOR
OTSEGO—The large wooden playground structure at Northside Park in Otsego was engulfed in flames during the early-morning hours on Tuesday, Sept. 2.
According to Otsego City Manager Aaron Mitchell, the fire is estimated to have started at approximately 12:45 a.m.
“A neighbor called 911 to report the fire and, according to our fire chief, the blaze appeared to have been burning for about 10 or 15 minutes before crews arrived,” Mitchell said.
The investigation into the origins of the fire remains ongoing, but Mitchell said early indications are that it was in-tentionally set.
“I’m no investigator, but logic would tell you that someone had to do this on purpose,” he said. “There is no rea-son for a fire to be around the structure, and it would almost certainly take some kind of accelerant to set the struc-ture on fire.”
Based on photos he saw of the blaze, Mitchell feared the worst: that the structure would be a complete loss.
However, the damage appears to have been contained to a 20-to-40-foot section on the structure’s east side.
“The fire looked so intense that I figured there would be nothing left,” Mitchell said. “But our hope now is that this will be more of a repair effort than a replace effort.
“The thing is, they don’t make playground structures like this anymore. The price of lumber has gone up so much since the structure was built, and the cost of insuring a new structure like this has also skyrocketed. I’m told it would have cost a million dollars between materials and insurance if we had to completely replace the structure as it was.”
Mitchell said the City is pushing for the insurance company to move quickly so repairs can start as soon as possi-ble.
“We know what this playground means to the community,” he said. “If you have a child and live near Otsego, you’ve likely been there. So we’re pushing for the insurance side to get taken care of ASAP so we can finish the re-pairs ASAP and get the park open again ASAP.
Known affectionately by many community members as “castle park,” the playground structure at Northside Park was constructed through a community-driven effort.
After raising more than $100,000 to purchase the materials in 1996, community members came together to build the wooden play structure as well as a skateboard ramp.
“It’s so sad,” Mitchell said of the damage done by the fire. “I’ve already had several people call up and say, ‘Hey, I helped build that park.’ It truly was a community effort to get it built, and it has been a community gather-ing place ever since.
“Hopefully, we can get it repaired and open again very soon.”
