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 of ADA accessible engineered wood fiber.

Within a week the wood fiber will be compact enough for a wheelchair to roll over, said Robinson, and it is certified safe for falls from the highest equipment on the playground. In addition, it will resist mildew, mold and rot.

“We wanted to give a complete solution,” she said.

But Wilks said the main concern was that the kids would like it.

“They need it,” he said. “This is what we’ve got—and it’s good.”

Robinson said that because the playground combines equipment for both children and adults, it will be a national demo site for Bliss Products and will be featured on the company’s website.

“They did a great job,” said O.J. Cole, chairman of the county board of supervisors. “It’s obvious by the people who were already in attendance that it’s going to be well-used. I’m looking forward to warm weather, when people can get out to use it.”

“We have a wonderful playground,” said supervisor Charles Ingram. He said that Port Fun started 20 years ago “with people in the community hauling dirt for no pay.” Residents raised funds to support the project, he said, and the county made up the difference.

“The material in this one is better than the last one,” said Ingram. “The children will really enjoy it.”