Group fights to save Doylestown's Kids' Castle

At this time of year, the Kids' Castle playground in Doylestown - an eight-story, wooden structure that looks like it's straight out of a Mario Brothers video game - would typically be overrun with rambunctious youngsters.

But at the moment, it's surrounded by a chain-link fence, piles of wood, and truck containers.

The Kids' Castle is getting a makeover.

After months of fund-raising spearheaded by a local volunteer committee, Save Kids' Castle, the 15-year-old playground - which needed repairs, according to an annual safety audit last year - is getting new entrances, new flooring, and two 7-foot-tall twisty slides.

The castle has been restained, a deck is being added, and new netting has been put inside.

It's all part of what the group is calling Phase 1 - for which nearly $125,000 has been raised - and there are a few more surprises in store for when the castle reopens, hopefully this summer.

"It's a lot of work," said Rosemary Huether, 53, a Doylestown resident who is coordinating logistics for the renovation. "A tremendous amount of work."

And that work doesn't come cheap.

The fund-raising goal for Phase 1 is $150,000, which will go toward renovating the castle itself, Huether said. She says the group is about a month away from reaching that goal. Excavation around the site began in April.

The castle will reopen once Phase 1 construction is complete, Huether said, but there won't be attractions surrounding it, as there were in the past, like a pirate ship and a tree house. Those structures are to be replaced in Phase 2, which Huether said is a $300,000 campaign that will begin next year.

And once Phase 2 is finished, there's Phase 3, which will aim to raise an additional $100,000 to build amenities including a bathroom and a concession stand, Huether said.

That may seem like a daunting amount of work and money for a playground, but Huether says the towering Kids' Castle is "a highlight of Bucks County," and thus far, the community has responded to the rallying cry to save it.

Take Jude and Amber Titus, Doylestown residents and parents of children ages 4 and 2.

Jude, 35, spent last Sunday helping with carpentry at the site, pro bono, and plans to go back this weekend.

Amber, 33, has staged several fund-raisers through mothers groups she's a part of, raising a few hundred dollars, she said.

And their tile business, Titus Tileworks, has sponsored a piece of artwork to be displayed at the site, which also served as a donation to the renovation efforts.

"I live in the community, and I think it's an awesome place for kids," Jude said, when asked why he's been so generous. "It's needed. It's really needed in the community."

Students at Kutz Elementary School in Doylestown held a dance-athon in early May, raising more than $6,000.

And Jamie Rogers, a music teacher at Lenape Middle School, organized raffles for gift baskets during the three concerts staged at the school this spring. Overall, $758 was raised for the Save Kids' Castle efforts.

About 800 other donors have joined in the effort, along with dozens of local businesses, according to Michelle Roemer-Schoen, the committee's publicity coordinator.

Rogers, speaking for herself but representing the views of many, said she thought that joining the effort was a great way for her students to have an impact on the area.

"I thought it was a really nice community project and they could see the fruits of their labors pretty immediately," she said.