Village to Overhaul Wilson Park Playgrounds

People who grew up in Mineola over the past two decades undoubtedly remember playing on the playgrounds in Wilson Park.

There are the slides, the swings and the jungle gym equipment. And while it may be happy nostalgia for them - now grown - to see their own kids playing on the same equipment, the reality is that - like all things - the equipment will eventually fail.

"The structures that we bought at that time, they don't parts for them anymore," Superintedent of Public Works Tom Rini told the village board Wednesday night at the Village Hall. 

"We realized that our equipment is outdated," he said.

The Village has experienced numerous problems with the swings, as well as issues with the apparatus designed for older children, namely one of the slides, which was broken and repaired several times. The slide was eventually removed "because we couldn't get the parts," Rini said.

Mayor Jack Martins had announced that the structures would be replaced in September as to not disrupt the summer recreation program. The Mayor also pointed out that since the new playground systems are modular in design, if one component should fail or become deteriorated over time, the part can be replaced. Additional segments can also be added to the playground to expand the apparatus, another benefit of the modular design.

Unfortunately the village also installed a rubber mat safety surface at Wilson Park, which in the intervening 17 years has dried out and is hard to replace. The new safety surface around the Wilson Park playground would be an "engineered wood chip," which is designed and cut in such a way as to not cause injury to anyone. There will be an excavation for the apparatus because according to Rini, "you have to put down at least a foot of that material." 

Rini added that he can repair and maintain the surface himself using the Village crews and locally bought materials.

The playground at Memorial Park currently features a cored rubber surface, which also costs a hefty $11 per square foot. If the same surface were to be placed at Wilson Park, it would cost approximately $20,000 and would not be able to be maintained by the Village. The cost of the playground for the younger children (ages 2-5) is $15,742, while the cost of the structure for the older children (ages 5-12) is $24,870. Both systems will be purchased off of existing New York state contracts.

Barbato Landscaping was the winning bidder on the contract to remove the old playground and install the new one as well as remove and replace all the safety surfaces at a cost of $29,000. Rini noted that Barbato Landscaping was also the winning bidder for the installation of the equipment at Memorial Park. It is estimated that it will take approximately one week of construction time to install both playgrounds.