Ten-year-old Collin Cramer, a student at Small Faces Child Development Center, gave it his best shot. Then, he gave it another. And, a couple more.

Cramer, wearing a hardhat and goggles, was given a sledgehammer and the honor of taking the first whack at the old playground during the March 3 groundbreaking of the new Crown Hill Center playground.

Small Faces, owner of the Crown Hill Center at 9250 14th Ave. N.W., received a grant from the city March 1 to replace the current playground, which staff say is falling apart.

Plans for the new playground include a new play structure, a tire swing, a water feature, a beach area and gardens.

Small Faces Executive Director John Otto said they plan to have the first stage of the playground, including the new play structure and tire swing, completed by June.

The rest of the playground will be an ongoing project, he said.

The Crown Hill Center playground is adjacent to the site of the Crown Hill Park, work on which is back underway for the first time since 2006.

Conceptual plans were presented for the park, located on Holman Road between 14th Avenue and 13th Avenue Northwest, in 2006 before the Crown Hill School was sold to Small Faces and became the Crown Hill Center.

Seattle Parks and Recreation is starting the process back up with a public design meeting at 6:30 p.m. on April 28 at the Crown Hill Center.

The city plans to finish the design process by the end of 2010 and began construction in spring 2011, with completion slated for fall 2011.

The 2006 conceptual plans for the park, which has a budget of $1.2 million provided by the Parks and Green Spaces Levy, include youth soccer fields, a little league diamond, a bike loop, a skate spot and a community theater.

Click here for more information on the Crown Hill Park project.