New playground equipment that will make children safer at Andy Lee and Rick Volz fields in Woodstock is on its way to replace some derelict relics from decades past. Most of it should have arrived by now, but the manufacturer is facing labor shortages and supply chain issues related to COVID-19, Town Supervisor Bill McKenna said. “We have not heard back yet as to when the new equipment will arrive,” he said.
Some older equipment that was still usable will be repaired and reinstalled.
In April, the town established a Playground Replacement Capital Project fund and transferred $90,000 into it from the Open Space and Recreation Fund, which receives money from fees charged for subdivisions. A group including Town Clerk Jackie Earley and Tree Committee Chair Michael Veitch identified areas needing improvement. Earley had taken photos and showed them to McKenna about a year and a half ago and that got the ball rolling to get the equipment replaced at both fields.
The town’s highway and maintenance departments will install soft material around the equipment that is much safer than the gravel and pavement that was used in playgrounds of yesteryear.