New Playground Dedicated To Late Bridgewater-Raritan Grad, Artist

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — The new playground at Duke Island Park was dedicated by the county park commission to Raymond Willis Brown, the late son of recently retired Park Commission Director Ray Brown and Roseann Brown.

Brown tragically died in 2016 at the age of 32. He was painting a mural on a high-rise building in Hollywood, Florida when the scaffolding gave out. Brown died in the fall.

Brown graduated from Bridgewater-Raritan High School in 2002 and was "an artist, a self-taught musician and an art handler who found success and happiness within Miami's art community where he thrived among his beloved family of fellow artists," according to his obituary.

Growing up Brown spent many hours with his parents swinging, climbing, sliding, and generally having an enjoyable time at the Duke Island Park playground.

This past June, the Somerset County Park Commissioners unanimously agreed that the dedication of the new playground at Duke Island Park off Old York Road in Bridgewater was an "exceptionally fitting honor to the entire Brown family."

Construction of the new playground began on Nov. 6 and was completed in late November.

The new playground equipment is designed for all age groups. The large central structure features a three-story Mega Tower and the Aquarius Webscape climbing structure. The playground includes a Ten Spin, Saddle Seat, Boulder Tunnel, Sensory Panels, and a variety of swings. The playground meets requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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