It’s taken about four years, but all four La Mirada parks and a fifth recreational area owned by Los Angeles County have new playground equipment.

Gardenhill Park was the last one to receive a new playground, which opened last week. The parks also received shade structures, rubberized surface material to meet safety standards and federal accessibility regulations. New slides, swings, climbers and interactive features also are included in the new playgrounds.

“Stuff, as you know, wears out and goes out of style,” Mayor Larry Mowles said. “It’s incumbent on us to make sure they’re up to standards as far as safety and desirability. We’re also making our parks accessible to handicapped and disabled individuals.”

The city spent about $1.5 million, according to budget figures, on the project which was first proposed in 2012.

Neff Park was the first playground to get its playground replaced in spring 2015. New playgrounds also were added to Frontier Park, Anna J. Martin Park and near the La Mirada Community Gymnasium, an L.A. County property, in 2017. Windermere Park’s new playground was completed late last year.

Oliver Osuna, city community services director, said it was time to replace the equipment.

“Nothing was particularly wrong, but it was time to update them,” Osuna said.

The new equipment has a variety of colors and different textures which stimulate all the senses, he said.