(Photo by Will Dendis)
Children and parents hanging out at the Lions Club Playground on Aug. 11 were surprised to witness the delivery of massive piece of equipment that, when assembled, will have slides and play areas.
“It came in about 60 pieces,” said George Terpening, superintendent of parks, buildings and grounds.
About $25,000 has been spent on playgrounds so far, with funds coming from the Lions Club, Kiwanis Club and the village budget.
Rain predicted for much of this week will slow the project down, but Terpening said a local crew would be going into the park Aug. 14–15 or the following week and preparing the site for the equipment.
Site work will consist of digging out a portion of the playground and filling it with a rubberized mulch to make the landing areas somewhat soft for children that fall.
Employees from the company will then assemble the piece of equipment, which should take about two days, Terpening said, and it will be ready for the kids to try out and have fun.
Much of the equipment at the village’s three playgrounds (the beach, Seamon Park and the Lions Club) is being replaced due to insurance requirements.
Fundraising is being done by members of the community as well. Heidi Brandt has raised $2,504 so far with a “GoFundMe” website. Her group’s goal is $30,000.
“We have been receiving a regular stream of money,” she said.
One of the bigger contributors is Sakinah Irizarry, a certified massage therapist who has been giving massages for donations each week at the farmers market, Brandt said. Irizarry has two children who attend Brandt’s daycare business on Lafayette St. She has set a goal of raising $1,000 for the project and is just $24 shy of that number, Brandt said.
Also contributing, Sawyer Savings Bank, which held a “Dress Down Friday” event that raised $250. Brandt is also collecting used ink cartridges and old small electronic equipment to recycle as a way of raising funds. There is a recycling bin at Village Hall at 43 Partition St. to drop off the items.
“With the Lions Club doing such a great job on their park, we are now focusing more on the beach and Seamon Park,” Brandt said.
A fall fundraiser is slated for Oct. 8 and Brandt and her crew will be there selling baked goods.
Anyone who would like to donate to the efforts can call Village Hall at 246-2321 ext.1 or Brandt at 247-8750.