The town park’s playground will soon see the long-awaited revamp that it needs.
With a grant of $150,000 from state capital funding and matched donations from the Friends of Bethlehem Parks and Recreation charity organization, plans are now in place for the 23 year-old wooden structure to be replaced with a playground made of more modern, safer materials.
“This is a long time coming,” said Town Supervisor John Clarkson amidst the sound of laughing children at the Friday June 26 announcement made in front of the playground on 261 Elm Ave. in Delmar. “Many families have enjoyed this facility over the years, but we need a new playground and new equipment”.
Wooden structures such as the one at the Bethlehem Town Park, which were once the go-to for playground construction, have become largely outdated in recent years. Maintenance of wooden playgrounds is difficult, as they require constant upkeep. Rotting and splintering wood becomes a growing health and safety concern as these structures age–concerns that are especially alarming given these structures are meant to be used by very young children.
More recent playground designs are able to usurp these problems by constructing playgrounds out of different materials. The new playground at the town park is set to be made out of plastic and metal, and will feature new wood chips at its base.
The Town of Bethlehem is the first district in Albany County to clear plans for the state’s annual economic development budget. “This [playground construction] really is local economic development,” said Assemblymember Patricia Fahy of the 109th district of New York. “By investing in our parks and recreation we are investing in the future of our towns”
A similar playground revamp was undertaken at Elsmere Elementary School when community members led a campaign to build a new playground to replace Elmere’s 20 year-old wooden playground. Construction on that project required an enormous amount of donations from the community over a two-year period, but the playground was able to open after only a few months of construction last summer.
According to Nan Lanahan, director of parks and recreation at the Bethlehem Town Park, preliminary plans for the renovations were first brought to the Bethlehem Town Board in January as part of a master plan to renovate the entire park facility.
Designs for the playground are now completed and the town will look at bids from construction companies. The design will soon be available for viewing on the town’s website where public is encouraged submit their suggestions for the new playground. The final plan will be publicly presented to the town board in September.
This grant from the capital economic development also sees to the fitness trail at the Bethlehem Town Park receive $50,000 in funding for updates to its fitness equipment and the Henry Hudson park is Selkirk will additionally receive $50,000 in funding for construction of a new canoe and kayak launch site. The boat launch will be the first of the three projects to begin construction.
“Our community is thriving because we take care of those things that our community knows and loves” said Town Supervisor Clarkson, “ and that’s something that I’m very proud of.”
