Bettendorf’s Parks & Recreation Department has released the final designs and expected timelines for three upcoming park renovation projects in the city.
The City Council approved purchase orders for playground and amenity upgrades at Lincoln, Friendship and Edgewood Parks on September 16. The approval came after three separate Community Input Events where residents could vote on their favorite park features and submit ideas on what improvements they’d like to see in their neighborhood parks.
“This process was so enjoyable for city staff because of the overwhelming turnout at each of our Community Input Events,” said John Byrnes, Parks & Recreation Director. “Building the next generation of neighborhood parks based on what park-goers prioritize creates an incredible sense of community and pride in our park system.”
Lincoln Park, 951 27th Street, features a popular splash pad and a new bathroom was recently added. A bigger, modern playground emerged as one of the top choices of park-goers, after a Community Input Event on July 17. City Council approved a purchase order for GameTime for new playground equipment and a shade sail. The $155,794 state-of-the-art playground system will replace the existing playground, which is estimated to be over 25 years old.
“This modern playground will tower over the old playground it is replacing as kids climb to the sky, up the 21’ overlook to a spiraling slide,” said Byrnes. “Younger kids will find climbing challenges and lower platforms and slides to play on, and, by popular demand, we are updating the swing set as well.”
The renovation project is expected to start Monday, October 20 with demolition of the existing playground. The new playground is scheduled to be installed during the week of November 10 and be completed by November 21, weather permitting. The rest of Lincoln Park will remain open during construction. Click here to follow the park’s progress.
Friendship Park, 5033 White Post Road, offers a shelter, sand volleyball court and a large playground space. A modern playground emerged as the top choice of park-goers after a Community Input Event on August 14. City Council approved a purchase order to GameTime for new playground equipment. The $171,027 state-of-the-art playground system will replace the existing playground, which is estimated to be over 20 years old.
“More than 170 people from around the Friendship Park neighborhood voted overwhelmingly for a playground that feature unique, modern equipment that will be more appealing and engaging to a wider age range of kids,” said Byrnes. “I think the 360-degree climbing feature is probably the single most unique piece of playground equipment in the City of Bettendorf.”
The project is expected to begin the week of November 3 and be completed by December 1, weather permitting. The rest of Friendship Park will be open during playground construction. Click here to follow the progress.
Edgewood Park, 1400 23rd Street, features a shelter, baseball field, half basketball court, tennis court, playground and restrooms. After a Community Input Event on May 13 and an online vote on four concept plans, the winning plan included a modern playground, an expanded shelter with electrical access and upgrades to the bathroom and storage building.
A new $132,069 state-of-the-art playground system will replace the existing playground, which is estimated to be over 15 years old. City Council also approved a purchase order to Creative Sites for a new park shelter, estimated at $92,283.
“Edgewood Park was identified early as a park that needed new life breathed into it,” said Byrnes. “We saw a huge turnout of park-goers at our Community Input Event who shared their input on what the future of the park should look like. I am so excited about this project, which features an incredible, modern playground, added shelter, and a ton of ‘small’ upgrades to the bathhouse that people are going to love!”
This renovation project is expected to begin in Spring 2026. Click here to follow the progress. Crews have already made improvements to the bathroom based on comments at the Community Input Event. The bathroom now has new concrete, interior paint, doors and epoxy floors.
“I can’t thank our City Council and community enough for advocating for the City of Bettendorf to invest in quality-of-life projects,” said Byrnes. “Using AI to map visits at the recently completed playground project at Ed Scheck Park, we found that after the new playground was installed, there was more than a 75% increase in park visits with unique visits doubling compared to the same period of time last year. Between that data and the great turnout for our Community Input Events, we continue to feel that Parks & Recreation is a top priority in our community, and these three park projects are the next step in that progression.”