Rivers Edge Theme for Playground
After numerous requests from the surrounding Upper East Side community, the playground at John Jay Park is getting a facelift. The design includes new equipment, a different ground surface and fresh shrubbery. All entrances and equipment will be accessible to visitors with disabilities, complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The playground will have a â??rivers" edge theme that includes a ship"s prow, wavy decks, slides, bridges and a track ride, a zip line-type device. The facility will also offer a large climbing net and a play rowboat. â??I"m very excited about it, said Brian Feldman, a resident of 500 E. 77th St. Feldman and his wife, Jordana, take their children to the park regularly. Community Board 8"s Parks Committee voted unanimously in favor of the renovations last September, writing in a resolution that the playground is â??heavily used and in need of restoration and upgrading. â??It"s a very small park for a crowded neighborhood, said Betty Cooper Wallerstein, president of the East 79th Street Neighborhood Association and a member of Board 8. â??You want it to last and be able to withstand weather. The new gear will comply with national safety mandates, according to the department. Workers will also install a new blue-green rubber surface that will absorb less heat than the black rubber carpeting currently in place. In May 2008, a toddler suffered severe burns after walking barefoot on 166-degree rubber at Carl Schurz Park. The lightly colored surface material planned for John Jay Park will reduce the risk of burns, but the department says guardians bear some responsibility as well. â??Signs are posted at playgrounds throughout the city reminding park patrons to wear shoes and appropriate clothing when it gets hot, Philip Abramson, the department"s deputy director of public affairs, wrote in an email. Alternatives to rubber have their downsides, too. Sand or wood chips can accumulate dirt, sharp objects and animal feces, explained Vanessa Martelli, playground project coordinator for the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, a national organization based at Columbia University"s Mailman School of Public Health. â??Rubber costs more, said Martelli, who is not involved with the John Jay Park project, but has worked on city projects before, â??but it"s much easier to maintain, it will last longer and it will better protect the children. Council Member Jessica Lappin has allocated $1.4 million from the city"s capital budget for the project. â??Playgrounds generally take a good amount of wear and tear's they"re teeming with kids on a beautiful day like today, she said during an April 1 interview. â??It"s important to make sure that this one is in good shape. While the playground"s main entrance, off East 77th Street, will remain, a lighter, 4-foot gate will replace the weighty 7-foot entry gate, and there will be a second entrance coming from the tot lot. New benches will surround the lot entrance and trees. There will be a drinking fountain, along with shrubbery, flowers and other landscape details. The new park will have a variety of swings made out of bucket, strap and tire. A new sandbox area will contain a raised sand table and two children"s tables. Swings for older kids will be set up near the park"s East 77th Street entrance. The playground will also have a play area with spray showers, spray hoops, a water tunnel and rocks. The contract is out to bid and will likely be awarded by June. John Jay Park"s current playground will remain open until construction begins this summer. It will then be closed until the renovated play space opens in summer 2011. The play area was last remodeled in 1985, and the current equipment was replaced 15 years ago.