Expanded playground in the works for Tasker Park in Peconic
Town officials hope to use Community Development Block Grant funding to install a second Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant playground at Tasker Park in Peconic.
Southold Town will tentatively receive $260,000 in block grant funding this year, according to town government liaison Denis Noncarrow.
Of that, $50,000 is slated to go to the Village of Greenport for sidewalk improvements on Sixth Avenue, Mr. Noncarrow said. He said the village partnered with the town this year to navigate the grant application process and plans to join the Suffolk County Consortium next year.
Maureen’s Haven and Community Action Southold Town will each receive $7,500.
The remaining $195,000 will be used to install the ADA-compliant playground, with accessible ramps and new equipment, including play panels for younger kids and a new “roller” slide, according to town recreation supervisor Janet Douglass.
“It’s just a few pieces that update our current playground and bring interest back to it,” she said. “It’s aged a little bit.”
The playground design, created by American Recreational Products, also includes UV-protected shade awnings on the equipment.
Department of Public Works director Jeff Standish suggested installing rubberized playground flooring in lieu of wood chips, which require more maintenance.
He said the flooring was used in Tasker Park’s southernmost playground, donated by the Reichert family.
Mr. Standish estimated the existing play area to be more than 25 years old. “We’ve been taking pieces out of it as they’ve been falling apart,” he said. “It’d be a nice thing for the kids. That thing is used every day.”
In recent years, CDBG funding has also helped repave the parking lot at the town’s recreation center
Mr. Noncarrow estimated that if funds are released this winter, work could begin as early as spring 2020.
