UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The Central Park Conservancy is planning a major renovation of the Rudin Family Playground near West 96th Street and Central Park West, with new play equipment, more seating and an accessible route into the space.
At a Thursday night meeting with Community Board 8, Nick Koster, the Central Park Conservancy's vice president of design, said the proposed redesign includes separate play structures for children ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, a relocated water feature, swings, and a sandbox.
The plan also moves the playground's pergola to a central spot and adds picnic tables beneath it, along with benches around the perimeter, Koster said.
The new pergola won't be covered in wisteria, since the vine had damaged the existing structure. The new pergola will provide shade through an all-wood canopy.
Other new features in the plan include "talk tubes," chalkboards and tactile play elements built into the equipment.
The entrance would be regraded to create an accessible route into the playground.
The Conservancy also plans to add new plantings and trees, including one intended to provide shade as it matures.
The renovation is part of the Conservancy's "Plan for Play," which aims to connect Central Park playgrounds to the surrounding landscape, Koster said.
Rudin is one of two Central Park playgrounds still awaiting an extensive upgrade; the other is the Diana Ross Playground, which the Conservancy expects to present next year.
The Conservancy said it plans to begin construction next summer, and the playground will be closed for up to 18 months during the redesign.
This is a developing story and will be updated. For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.
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