08.30.11 (LAS CRUCES) -- Area children have a new place to play in Las Cruces. It's a state-of-the-art facility; designer's hope will make things much safer.
Two-year-old Asher Perez is always looking for a few good friends and now, a new playground can help him do just that.
"Well, we live just down the street so, I think it's great for the kids to have a brand new playground," said mom, Jennifer Perez.
The facility is a place where children are free to explore, climb and run without parents worrying too much about injuries.
"I always worry about his safety on the equipment and stuff and I think this is a great set because it looks very child friendly and really safe as oppose to a lot of other equipment," she said.
The playground is located in the family housing neighborhood on the campus of New Mexico State University where about 560 families and more than 900 children live.
"This allows kids to be creative and use the equipment how they want to and explore, and it makes you more active. You're not just sitting on a swing rocking back and forth, your climbing, your balancing, your jumping, you're doing all kinds of things and the kids will make it their own," said Julie Weber, director of Housing and Residential Life.
New Mexico State used rebates award from El Paso Electric over the course of four years to pay for the $96,000 worth of equipment. Design and construction of the playground, which would have cost up to $150,000 was donated.
"You'll notice under our feet is nice squishy material so that if a child does fall, they are not on concrete, not on wood chips, not on sand. It's nice, safe material for them. The equipment itself is from a company says it has not have any issues with any of the safety. We know kids will climb, we know kids will fall, but that's true anywhere kids play," said Weber.
There's no official name for the playground just yet. School leaders are giving children and their families a chance to come up with a creative one through a community contest.
Reported by Carlos Correa.
