COEUR d'ALENE - There is simply no way to get a feel for the McEuen Park makeover from behind the chain link fencing that surrounds it.

You have to get inside and stroll around to appreciate the transformation. On Saturday, the public can do just that, from 2 to 6 p.m.

It's worth the time.

The city of Coeur d'Alene will open the east end of the park to the public. That section is nearly completed with new playground equipment, basketball courts, dual-use tennis/pickleball courts, a new dog park and a state-of-the-art splash pad.

The west side of the park is still under construction, so it will remain closed to the public until it is completed next May.

Parks Director Bill Greenwood and Welch-Comer President Phil Boyd gave a tour to the media on Thursday.

"I am really excited about this playground," Greenwood said, pointing out its amenities. "It just keeps going and going."

The playground sits on top of 12 inches of foam padding that is covered with Astro-turf and crushed rubber. It is designed to protect kids from injury for up to a 10-foot fall, he said.

One set of playground equipment is designed for children 5 to 12 years old, and another set is for children 2 to 5 years old.

"When we met with the public, that was one of the bigger issues," Greenwood said. "The bigger kids have a tendency to run off the younger kids."

The playground also has musical instruments, including a xylophone, bongos and more. Everywhere you turn, there is another surprising amenity.

There are no traditional stairs or ladders on the playground equipment. Instead, children will access the equipment by rock-like climbing walls and stairs resembling tree stumps. There are also ramps, making the equipment ADA accessible.

If you follow the separated bike and pedestrian trails around the playground and past the Kompan Supernova (a device you'll just have to see to understand), you'll find the splash pad, which is still under construction.

The splash pad also has separate amenities for the older and younger kids. Boyd said the pad will pump 250 gallons of water per minute. On a peak day, that could amount to 94,000 gallons of water use.

"None of that water will go to waste," he said, explaining it will be recycled through an irrigation system.

The splash pad will use domestic water that will drain into a 60,000 gallon tank under the Harbor House at the west end of the park. That water will be mixed with lake water if needed, and used to irrigate the park.

Just to the south of the splash pad and tennis/pickleball courts is a dog park with a dual entryway, with one entrance leading to the puppy side, and the other leading to the larger-dog side of the park.

The ground surface will be decomposed granite, which is easier to maintain, Greenwood said. There will also be an obstacle course for dogs.

Overall, the redesign gained the park 3.6 acres of new green space, and 18 new parking spaces.

With all the new amenities at McEuen, it is sure to draw attention away from City Park, but Greenwood said the city is looking at potential improvement of that park in the Four Corners planning process.

"The park itself is healthy," he said, adding that the Fort Sherman play area is a little worn. "City Park is the beach, and we may want to look at more access to the waterfront down there."

By the Numbers

The price for the McEuen makeover has been controversial, and is often cited at $20 million.

The actual cost of the entire project is $19.6 million, according to Keith Erickson from the Lake City Development Corporation.

That price tag is broken down to four components:

* Parking garage cost is $6.5 million

* Park makeover cost is $8.5 million

* Infrastructure cost is $2.5 million (Infrastructure includes Front Avenue rebuild, the south walking trail, utilities and the east parking lot)

* Design fee cost is $2.1 million

The design fees may appear high but are just more than 10 percent of the total cost of the project, which is standard in the industry, Erickson said.