The Brackett Park ?moon rocket? has been a neighborhood fixture since 1962.

Photo by Todd Melby

taken from the Seward Profile

Dashan Washington had to climb 11 rungs on three metal ladders to reach the controls of the Brackett Park moon rocket. But even on a chilly afternoon, it was worth the trip.

From his perch high above the park, the 10-year-old could grab a makeshift steering wheel and imagine soaring above the clouds. Still, he had a few complaints about the 42-year-old rocket, which may be removed as part of a playground renovation later this year.

?They ought to make it so the wheel turns and stuff moves,? Washington said, while a 6-year-old cousin straggled up the ladder behind him.

Installed in 1962, just one year after President John F. Kennedy urged the nation to support efforts to reach the moon by 1970, the aging rocket has seen better days. Orange paint is peeling from its base, graffiti obscures several surfaces and many parents say the approximately 30-foot-high relic isn?t without its hazards.

Two summers ago, Cara Letofsky?s daughter managed to get her head stuck in between the vertical slats on the rocket?s third level.

?She freaked,? Letofsky said.

Letofsky, who was pregnant at the time, couldn?t squeeze through the 15-inch openings between levels. However, she had the foresight to have another adult follow her two-year-old up the rocket. That person unlodged the young girl, who wasn?t injured.

Another mother, Sarah Trelstad, also worries about the perils the rocket poses to her toddler.

?I cringe when she goes in it,? said Trelstad, motioning to 2-year-old Eva, who was splashing in a nearby puddle. ?Aesthetically, it?s nice, but it?s not a safe piece of equipment.?

Whether to keep or remove the decaying rocket ship is just one decision that must be made in coming months about the playground equipment at Brackett Park, 2728 39th Ave.

The park was last renovated in 1980. Although a new recreation building and wading pool were added eight years later, the playground equipment wasn?t updated. That?s because the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board only has enough funding to replace slides, swings and other toys once every two decades or so.

With $400,000 to spend on improvements this year, the north Longfellow park will take on a new look by autumn. The park board has scheduled a meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 14 at Brackett Park to hear what people want in a new park.

There may also be funds available for adding playing field lighting, resurfacing tennis courts, creating a skateboard park and improving the picnic area, said Jill Andrews, park board spokeswoman.

Andy Lesch, a park board landscape architect, plans to show pictures of a variety of playground equipment at the meeting. Kids will also have a say in the park?s future: Lesch says he will make impromptu visits to get input from children.

News of the pending improvements was welcome news to park visitors on a recent weekend.

?It?s the worst park in the city,? said Sarah Trelstad. ?It?s falling apart.?

In addition to fretting about the safety of the rocket and the concrete pipe train, which was also installed in 1962, Trelstad says she routinely finds used condoms and broken glass in the playground sand.

Meanwhile, Dashan Washington has a list of items he?d like to see at the new and improved Brackett Park: jungle gyms, tire swings, a bike path and ?kiddie stuff like a sandbox.?

When informed that improvements were slated at the park, Washington said, ?It?s about time they do this thing.?

He quickly surveyed his surroundings and added, ?It looks all worn out.?

last revised: March 29, 2006