DARTMOUTH – In just a few days, a small pile of flattened gravel at Dartmouth’s Ferry Terminal Park will transform from a public eyesore into a popular play area.
The rubble is all that’s left after an act of vandalism caused the former playground — one that stood for nearly 13 years — to burn to the ground in late February.
The wooden boat near Alderney Landing was a beloved landmark for families of the area, but now a new and improved playground is ready to take it’s place.
Tim Rissesco, president of the Dartmouth Kiwanis Club, said it will be bigger, too.
“It’s going to be … about 50% larger than the old playground,” he said. “We’re going to have a large aluminum play structure that is ideal for kids five to 12 years old, and then we will have a smaller tugboat type slide beside the larger boat. As well, we’ll have a swirling structure like a round about for kids to play on.”
One of the defining features of the old playground was its accessibility for children, including those with disabilities.
The goal is for the new playground tp improve on that idea, but doing so isn’t cheap.
The former playground was built for just under $100,000, and the new one will be twice as much, with half its funding coming from insurance, while the Kiwanis club and the city will each contribute $50,000.
Rissesco said although it’s a hefty price tag, rebuilding the playground will help bring families to the Dartmouth waterfront.
“it will be the first of its kind in North America,” he said.
“It’s being promoted by the manufacturer, so it’s going to be quite spectacular. I think it will create a draw to the Dartmouth waterfront for families from all over.”
Counselor Gloria McCluskey also helped spearhead the project.
She said parents missed the old playground because there wasn’t another one where they could take kids who needed an accessible place to play.
The project is expected to be completed by late September.
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