The original KBIA playground was destroyed in the winter storms. Sydney Richelieu / Kennebunk Post

The Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association has plans in the works to restore the Mother’s Beach playground.

Over the winter, Kennebunk experienced intense storms that wiped out much of the seawall, and caused major damage to the Mother’s Beach playground.

In response, KBIA has launched “Keeping the Legacy Alive,” a capital campaign to raise money to support improvements and renovations to the Mother’s Beach site, including the beloved playground.

After consulting with experts in construction, design and engineering, KBIA plans to replace the playground with more resilient equipment and make structural changes to the site that will better protect it from future storms.

KBIA will replace the Mother’s Beach playground with more resilient play structures. Sydney Richelieu / Kennebunk Post

KBIA also hopes to establish a playground sustainability fund that will be used to cover the cost of annual repairs.

“We are looking at putting in a playground that is slightly smaller in footprint because we’re doing an inground resiliency piece,” said KBIA Executive Director Mimi Fox in an interview.

With storm resilience in mind, the playground will be built to withstand wave erosion, and dunes surrounding the playground will be built up for added protection.

“That will help with stormwater runoff,” Fox said. “We’re also looking at alternative forms of securing the playground.”

Temporary play structures will be removed this October. Sydney Richelieu / Kennebunk Post

Currently, KBIA is in the final stage of working with three different manufacturers to create the best possible playground for the site.

By the middle of October, the current climbing structure and playhouse will be removed, and resiliency work will begin in the spring. KBIA is hoping to have the playground improvements completed by the end of June, just in time for summer camp.

The current play structure is a placeholder, Fox said, and is not built for storm resilience.

“We couldn’t leave the playground empty for the summer due to permitting,” Fox said.

The budget for the new playground is capped at approximately $500,000, all of which is being raised through KBIA’s capital campaign.

The goal of the campaign is to raise $2.2 million, and KBIA has raised approximately $1.8 million so far.

KBIA was also recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Maine Business Recovery and Resilience Fund, which will be used specifically for the resiliency project at the playground space.