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11/23/2016 08:30 AMDeep River has a new place for kids to play, after a community build on Nov. 9 to install the new playscape at Devitt Field.
According to Carol Jones of Deep River Parks & Recreation, the town has been fundraising for this structure for the past five to seven years. Between the Deep River Carnival in June and the Deep River annual 5K run, walk, and fun run in September, the town raised the needed $21,000 for the new structure. The total cost of the apparatus came from the capital expenditure rather than tapping into the Parks & Recreation budget.
“We were looking to have the same amount of activities on the new apparatus,” said Jones. “We needed a safer structure, which would last at least the next 20 to 25 years.”
The new playscape from the company Creative Recreation includes a spiral slide, a regular slide, stepping stones, and game components such as a spinning tic-tac-toe set up, a climbing wall, and a sliding pole. There will also be a greater clearance area around the swings, which did not need to be replaced.
“We needed to replace the old one because it had started to show its age and there were some safety concerns in the form of rust and gaps too large to be considered safe for young children,” said Jones. “Although the area is for children aged 5 to 12, we want to make sure that when younger children are on it, they will be safe, too.”
The building crew included three hired staff from Creative Recreation to supervise, town staff, and five volunteers from Torrence Stone and Garden in Durham.
“We’re very thrilled. We’ll still offer the carnival and any additional fundraising will go toward adding free standing structures to further improve the experience,” said Jones.
First Selectman Angus McDonald was also happy to see the structure built after the long wait and fundraising process.
“Communities need safe spaces for kids to fool around,” said McDonald, “and this is one of them.”