Town Breaks Ground On New Merrick Playground

Hempstead Town Supervisor Laura Gillen and Councilwoman Erin King Sweeney joined Let’s Play 11566, corporate donors, community members and other elected officials last week at a groundbreaking ceremony for a playground that will be added to the Town’s Wynsum Avenue Park in Merrick.

"I’m thrilled to join with the South Merrick Civic Association and neighborhood families to break ground on what will be a beautiful new community playground,” said King Sweeney. “Since the beginning of this process, I felt that providing a neighborhood-appropriate playground was the right decision for our kids. After several years of hard-fought advocacy by many young families in Merrick, it's great to see that our children will have a new playground to enjoy right around the corner.”

The Wynsum Avenue Playground will feature two separate play areas, one for ages 2-5 and the other for ages 5-12. There will be multiple slides, climbers, swings, spinners and more. The total cost of the project will be approximately $300,000. That figure will cover the equipment, installation, fencing and playground features. The funds to build the playground came from a number of sources, including a $75,000 grant from Nassau County, $200,000 New York State grant and money raised by the organization. Community members Shawn Field and Jay Rogoff established Let’s Play 11566 and led the charge and fundraising efforts to build a playground at the park, which had been strictly a passive park with a walking path and benches.

"This project is a great example of government coming together for the betterment of our entire community," said Gillen. "I am pleased to partner with the entire Town Board to make this dream a reality for not only today’s children, but also their children and all future generations. This playground will become more than just an area for recreation; it will be the site of countless memories and lifelong experiences that our residents will carry with them for the rest of their lives."

The two major corporate sponsors for the playground are Coleman Country Day Camp and Dover Caterers.It is anticipated that the playground will take approximately 8 weeks to complete.

“Hard to believe that we've been at this for about three years, and we're so thankful for everyone's efforts to finally make this a reality,” said Let’s Play 11566 coordinators Rogoff and Field. “This is truly a cooperative effort between multiple levels of local government and the community. We'd like to thank all of our elected officials and their offices and the South Merrick Community Civic Association for their hard work because we know without them we wouldn't be here today.”

Photo courtesy Town of Hempstead