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McHardy Park to get new playground equipment
By By Alica P. Thiele
Challenger reporter
Challenger reporter
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EmailSeptember 02. 2010 6:00AM
McHardy Park lost playground equipment on its south side, but city officials plan to add a new, modular play structure on the park’s north side next summer.
“We took the old (equipment) out on the south side,” said Devin Coughlin, city parks employee. “It got vandalized this spring.” City Administrator Bryan Read said the equipment also was old.
Dave Swier of the city’s planning department said the only piece left on the south side is the swingset. “We’re going to put that in with our playground equipment in the soccer area,” he said, “if we have the room.” Swier said the city plans to regrade the park’s south side and reseed it. “We’ll let it go back to grass,” he said.
Coughlin said people didn’t use the south side as much as other areas of the park. “You can’t really see because it’s back so far from the road,” he said.
Swier said that the new soccer area, with its playground, also helped officials decide to remove the south side equipment.
Brandon recently received a $22,400 grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. That will pay for about one-fourth of the estimated $78,000 cost of new equipment for the park’s north side. Swier said he is applying for a second grant to further help cover the cost. He hopes to find out about that grant soon, as the city council is scheduled to hold a first reading on the 2011 budget on Sept. 7.
Nancy Wasmund, assistant director at Doodlebugs & Dinosaurs Pre-School and Child Care in Brandon, said Doodlebugs takes field trips to McHardy Park often in the summer.
“We get a game of baseball going or kickball or something like that,” she said. “They (kids) play on the playground equipment and we have picnics down there.”
Wasmund said she would like to see some new slides at the park. “Maybe monkey bar-type things,” she said. “We have a tether ball out in our playground (at Doodlebugs), and they love tether ball.”
Swier said the city has picked out the new equipment but hasn’t bought it yet. “It’s a big playground structure,” he said.
He said the equipment would be located in a new play area closer to the restrooms and picnic shelter on the park’s north side.
“We’re going to put in a concrete ring and put this new equipment in that ring,” he said.
“We took the old (equipment) out on the south side,” said Devin Coughlin, city parks employee. “It got vandalized this spring.” City Administrator Bryan Read said the equipment also was old.
Dave Swier of the city’s planning department said the only piece left on the south side is the swingset. “We’re going to put that in with our playground equipment in the soccer area,” he said, “if we have the room.” Swier said the city plans to regrade the park’s south side and reseed it. “We’ll let it go back to grass,” he said.
Coughlin said people didn’t use the south side as much as other areas of the park. “You can’t really see because it’s back so far from the road,” he said.
Swier said that the new soccer area, with its playground, also helped officials decide to remove the south side equipment.
Brandon recently received a $22,400 grant from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. That will pay for about one-fourth of the estimated $78,000 cost of new equipment for the park’s north side. Swier said he is applying for a second grant to further help cover the cost. He hopes to find out about that grant soon, as the city council is scheduled to hold a first reading on the 2011 budget on Sept. 7.
Nancy Wasmund, assistant director at Doodlebugs & Dinosaurs Pre-School and Child Care in Brandon, said Doodlebugs takes field trips to McHardy Park often in the summer.
“We get a game of baseball going or kickball or something like that,” she said. “They (kids) play on the playground equipment and we have picnics down there.”
Wasmund said she would like to see some new slides at the park. “Maybe monkey bar-type things,” she said. “We have a tether ball out in our playground (at Doodlebugs), and they love tether ball.”
Swier said the city has picked out the new equipment but hasn’t bought it yet. “It’s a big playground structure,” he said.
He said the equipment would be located in a new play area closer to the restrooms and picnic shelter on the park’s north side.
“We’re going to put in a concrete ring and put this new equipment in that ring,” he said.
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A child rides the merry-go-round on the north side of McHardy Park. It is one of the few pieces of playground equipment left there. The city has received a grant to help pay for a new play structure, which will be installed on the grassy area to the west of the current play area. Photo by Alica P. Thiele |  |
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