Community Corner

A New Dickinson Playground, One Step Closer

Jennifer Longtemps has been coming to the Dickinson Park playground with her young son for three years. He loves playing on the slide, swinging or just running and climbing up and down on the wooden labyrinth.

"And this is one of the only parks in the area with this much shade," she says, sitting on a bench under a tree. "I do hope they keep the shade."

After Newtown residents unanimously approved a bond request for a new playground at Dickinson Park Monday, the old playground's days are numbered. Longtemps saw the anticipated new look on Facebook and says she thinks it looks beautiful.

"Anything that helps the parent go through with the child is a lot better," she says. "I want to have plenty of room to move around with my son."

The two-decade-old structure has its downsides, Longtemps says. She worries about splinters and other potential risks.

"It's getting kind old and showing its age," she says. "So something new would be nice."

Residents Approve Playground Funds At Town Meeting

The $774,162 bond request included hundreds of thousands already raised through donations, Parks and Recreation director Amy Mangold said. The town will be responsible for only the remaining $438,000, but the total fund needed to be approved by voters due to what First Selectman Pat Llodra called "a uniqueness in our charter."

Mangold said it was time for the years-in-the-making project to move forward.

"As you all know, the playground has gone beyond its useful life," she told selectmen. "It's not ATA compliant and the materials are no longer acceptable to playground standards. Because of the good care the park crew has taken, it's managed through. But now that it's no longer useful, we have to take it down. It's lost a lot of play value. There's not a lot of qualities a playground should have left there anymore."

Parks and Recreation officials first approached the town about a new playground four years ago, First Selectman Pat Llodra said. At the time, the town asked the department to scale back their plans -- for climbing stones, musical instruments and a zipline -- significantly.

"It's only because of the generosity of many many folks and organizations that we're able to enhance what was a very limited design and bring it back to almost the full scale," said Llodra. "The town is making a significant commitment to redo that playground. It's really consistent with vision and purpose of Dickinson Park."

The 1.5 acre playground will combine with the natural elements of Dickinson Park and retain some of the feel of the old playground, Mangold said.

"It's going to give a flow of connectivity to the park, and keep that feeling of the wooden playground close to our hearts," she said. "And we're going to preserve some pieces, so we can keep that icon alive."

Mangold said she hopes demolition can begin this fall after a bid is awarded, with the new playground expected in time for the 2013 camping season.


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