North Fayette children can get ready to climb, crawl, swing, slide and generally jump around on a new, state-of-the-art playground set to open in the spring.

More than 100 people helped build a sprawling, bright red playing apparatus last weekend in the community park that is under construction next to Donaldson Elementary School on Donaldson Road.

About 130 women, men and children, including volunteers from sports organizations, church groups, local companies, West Allegheny schools and the township parks and recreation board, helped assemble and erect 221 pieces of equipment. Senior citizens served refreshments.

Some volunteers started preparing the 100-foot-by-38-foot site last Thursday and Friday. The majority of workers finished the playground over an eight-hour period on Saturday, many wearing caps and sweatshirts to warm themselves in the chilly autumn air. A representative from manufacturer Miracle Recreation Equipment Co., of Missouri, helped with construction.

"It was great for the community to come out like they did and work as hard as they did and take ownership like they did of the project," parks and recreation Director Bob Brozovich said. "It was just a wonderful thing to see everybody pitching in and doing their part."

The playground will open around April, along with three baseball fields and other parts of the 34-acre park, which is expected to cost at least $2 million. At that point, the township will start building an amphitheater, pavilions, fitness trails, two football/soccer fields and other amenities, with hopes of holding a grand opening in time for the annual North Fayette Community Days in August.

The $70,000 playground was funded in part by $13,500 in grants, including $10,000 from the nonprofit organization KaBOOM! A stipulation was the community had to cooperate to build it by Oct. 15.

The playground contains a mix of traditional and modern equipment, some unique to the region, designed to give children a workout while they are playing.

"They can get away from the computer or TV and have a chance to exercise while they're having fun," Mr. Brozovich said.

Feedback from volunteers indicated that children are excited about the new playground. "Even kids I was talking to, they thought it was awesome," Mr. Brozovich said. "They can't wait to come out and play on it."

He said the playground comes "close to being a Taj Mahal-type one."

The playground will cater to children 5 to 12 years old. It is largely made up of a colorful, Rube Goldberg-esque contraption of single, double and triple slides, climbing walls, crawling tubes, steering wheels, ladders, platforms and bridges.

Unusual items include a spherical climber and a futuristic-looking piece of Nexus Velocity equipment, which challenges kids to swing on monkey bar-type hangers and maneuver its perimeter without touching the ground.

The North Fayette park will be the first in the region to have the Nexus Velocity equipment.

"We have something here that nobody else has," Mr. Brozovich said. "There's some newer stuff, and I think that's what's going to make it really attractive to everybody."