Hattiesburg, Mississippi — The City of Hattiesburg celebrated new playground improvements at Eastside Park, Jaycee Park and Oseola McCarty Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Eastside Park on Friday, July 17, 2026.

At Jaycee and Oseola McCarty parks, the projects replaced and upgraded existing playground structures. Eastside Park received a new multi-feature play structure that expands the park’s existing recreational amenities.

The Eastside Park installation was completed as a community build, bringing residents, volunteers and City of Hattiesburg staff together to assemble the new equipment. The collaborative project gave community members a direct role in creating a new place for neighborhood children and families to gather and play.

“These improvements strengthen the neighborhood parks that families rely on throughout Hattiesburg,” said Parks and Recreation Director Betsy Mercier. “The Eastside community build was a special part of this project, and we are thankful for everyone who volunteered their time to help make this new playground possible.”

Together, the three playground projects cost just under $75,000 and were funded through one percent monies.

All three playgrounds are now open to the public.

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