Los Alamos County reopens remodeled Piñon Park in White Rock

Los Alamos County reopened Piñon Park in White Rock on May 5, bringing back a neighborhood playground that was rebuilt to improve safety, accessibility and amenities at 10 Sherwood Boulevard. The familiar rocket that has long defined the park was part of the reopening, giving families and students from nearby Piñon Elementary School a visible sign that the work is complete.

The ribbon-cutting drew playground enthusiasts, teachers, County Councilors, county officials, community members and children from Piñon Elementary School. County Council Chair Randall Ryti spoke to the crowd, underscoring how closely the park is tied to daily life in White Rock and to the families who use it after school, on weekends and during the summer.

The project began after the county announced a temporary closure on October 27, 2025. Plans called for demolition of existing playground equipment, pavement, retaining walls, curbing, a boulder retaining wall, an elevated walkway and ADA ramps, then installation of new play equipment, mulch, site furnishings and boulders. The county said the renovation was designed to improve accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act and to support the Community Services Department Integrated Master Plan, while also advancing council priorities for infrastructure asset management and inclusion, access and belonging.

That broader planning effort was already visible in April 2024, when the county asked residents for feedback on playground designs for Piñon Park and the 37th Street Playlot through surveys, on-site comment stations and public meetings. The reopening now turns that outreach into a finished project that White Rock families can use immediately, not a future plan on paper.

Piñon Park has also been one of the county’s clearest examples of capital investment in public recreation. The Piñon Splash Pad at the same park cost $827,800 and opened in June 2021, another sign that the county has been steadily channeling money into visible amenities in White Rock. The park’s reopening, paired with the rocket’s return and the new playground layout, leaves Piñon Park positioned as both a daily gathering place and a marker of where county infrastructure dollars are landing.