Post date: Mar 09, 2018 7:31:38 PM
As you may know, we were advised late last year that the Community Preschool is no longer able to use the playground equipment we have at Linear Park. While this vintage equipment is beloved by many and is likely similar to what many of us survived playing upon as children, most items there do not meet current recommendations for playground equipment. The need for eventual replacement didn't come as a surprise, but the timing was not something we anticipated. In our budget cycling, our best possibility for equipment replacement would be late summer of 2018 (assuming something in a budget approved in May, effective July, bidding and various contract requirements thereafter and then delivery and installation.)
Prior to that, too, would be putting together some sort of site plan and design which again would consume some amount of staff time and financial resources.
Luckily, a wonderful opportunity arose when Amy Jeschawitz offered to get together, on her own, a group of interested community members to put together some recommendations to me. Through, further good fortune, she brought Rite Coppola-Wallace into the conversation to spearhead site design issues.
They met with myself, Tim and Andrew to review their recommendations for site design. We are thrilled with their concept and intend to proceed with it. The first "official" phase requires receiving approval from the Conservation Commission for some site work and then the intention is for what I'm currently thinking of as the "Friends of Linear Park" to kick off fundraising all in hopes of being able to have something on the ground this summer, faster than we would otherwise be able to do on our own.
No action is required from the Board as this property is under my jurisdiction. However, I want to make sure the Board had a chance to see how we have been moving on this and to be introduced to the plans before they start becoming distributed more widely.
Amy and Rita will be at the meeting to discuss in greater detail.
Site concept below. (And in case you are asked, playground equipment is coming back; however, no specific equipment has yet been chosen.)