Popular park in Bluffton will be closed starting Monday. What’s happening?

The playground in DuBois Park in Bluffton will undergo maintenance to add new turf starting Jan. 17, Patrick Rooney, manager of capital improvements, said Friday.

Rooney said the work starts on Monday, a national holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday, because that’s the soonest the contractor could begin. The turf is old and has some small areas of depression that need to be corrected to smooth the surface.

The last time there was construction on the playground was three months ago when they removed the monkey bars and added railing on the shrimp boat structure. All play equipment is inspected annually, and maintenance is completed as needed throughout the year.

Rooney said most of the park, including the pavilion, restroom, walkways and lawn, will remain open. The playground will be barricaded, and up to four parking spots on Lawrence Street may be used during the construction period.

The playground will remain closed until Jan. 29, as long as there are no weather delays during construction. In a statement, the county said it will open it sooner if possible.