For parents of young kids in SF, playgrounds have been central to life and sanity in the last year. But one prominent playground, the one at Dolores Park, is closing for renovations beginning in mid-June.

Unfortunately, the playground is showing some wear and tear nine years on from its full rebuild and renovation, which was completed in 2012. Officially called Helen Diller Playground, the playground remained open during Dolores Park's last renovation, which was completed in January 2016. (Park-goers may recall those lengthy and inconvenient renovations that forced all dog-run and Gay Beach-goers down onto Fixie Flats for about a year — and that was during the very sunny, not very rainy drought times.)

Below is a slideshow from back in 2012 of the whole playground renovation coming together.

Now, as Mission Local reports, Rec & Parks has scheduled a three-month renovation of the playground portion to start in mid-June.

Parents there today tell Mission Local that they'll be sad not to have this playground to take their kids to this summer, but renovations are good, overall.

"The kids call this the big park; it has all the activities and is a mix of kids,” says Teresa Skelly, speaking to Mission Local. She said they take the J train from Balboa Park to this playground because it's a favorite of her kids.

"It has gotten a lot of love, so I see the need [for renovations]," she added.

A lot of cracks have appeared in the pads beneath the swing area, and among the renovations will be new synthetic turf on the flat area of the playground, and new rubber on the sloped portions. Rec & Parks does not appear to have published a full accounting of what will be fixed, added, or replaced.

If everything goes according to schedule, the playground should be back open for good times by the warm days of mid-September.