Concord Park Playground Community Redesign Effort Begins Thursday

CONCORD, NH — The Concord Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of White Park are working with a playground design company to replace the Monkey Around Playground at White Park in the West End. Playgrounds by Leathers, a national company that specializes in community-built playgrounds that was involved in creating the current structure, has been chosen to create a new playground for the park. Sessions begin Thursday to begin the planning process, according to David Gill, the director of parks and recreation for the city.

Gill said the community approach to design will begin with Playgrounds by Leathers meeting with elementary school students first Thursday in an effort "to gather their visions of a dream playground." During the evening, the general public will be invited to participate in the planning process.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 12, in the Harriet Dame Auditorium at the Concord Parks and Rec Department at 14 Canterbury Road in Concord.

The final design and cost are still being worked out but the Friends have committed to raising 50 percent of the cost, Gill said. Both steering and fundraising committees will be created soon to bring the project to fruition.

Jonathan Smith, the president of the Friends of White Park, said the group was "excited to have Playground by Leathers involved in the new playground, as 27 years ago Leathers designed and assisted the community in the building of the current playground."

For info about serving on either committee, contact Smith at friendsofwhitepark@gmail.com. For more information about the community design meeting, visit the parks and rec site.

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