Youngsters were already swinging, sliding, hanging, and jumping on the new equipment at Port Fun on Thursday afternoon, even before the renovated playground at Mathews County’s only public park was dedicated.

Mathews building official and parks and recreation Jamie Wilks said kids had gathered every day at the park over the past week or so in anticipation as they watched the equipment installed.

“They were chomping at the bit,” he said.

The playground cost approximately $106,500 and has features designed to appeal to older and younger children, from a large jungle gym to a pint-sized one, and there are 10 pieces of fitness equipment for adults.

Kelly Robinson of Bliss Products, the distributor for the PlayCore equipment, said the 12-inch playground timbers that form the yard of the playground are designed to hold in the base materials, which consist of a bed of pea gravel that was left over from the previous playground, a layer of filter cloth, and 12 inches o...