Online News From The Tribeca Trib

Park Views

As the weather has warmed and children flock to the expanded but unfinished playground in Washington Market Park, many parents are asking questions and some are expressing concern about the new area. In an interview with Bill Watson, president of the park’s board of director, the Trib asked about some of the issues on parents’ minds.

Q. What kind of feedback have you been getting about the play area?

The feedback I’ve been getting is great. The kids love it. We are thrilled about that. People love the boat. People love the water play area. I also hear lots of things that people don’t like. There are the concerns. But those are things that are not finished.

Q. What are some of those things?

The area under the tunnel that has sand is temporary. That is supposed to get a soft surface. On top of the tunnel, there’s a mound of dirt and that’s got to get planted with grasses, mostly for safety reasons. The red boat is supposed to have a big hole in the side where kids can go in and out and parents don’t have to get freaked when they can’t see them. We’ve got something fabricated waiting to be installed.

The steps that go up to the boat have been a big concern. They are designed to meet federal standards for the disabilities act. We’re installing some grid work with a little railing on one side, which will make it a lot easier for tots to get up and down the stairs. There’s a sand table that’s also in there for kids with wheelchairs—that’s why it’s up in the air like that. I think that’s a piece of equipment that’s going to end up coming out. It’s fun for little kids to sit up there and play, but it’s also a long way to fall. We also have issues with older kids playing on the boat. I think when they have their own area, they won’t be on the boat.

Q. When will all this be finished?

I hope all this gets done in the next month or so. We’ve got a three-and-a- half page list for the contractor for things to complete and we’re having problems with him getting anything finished.

Q. Some people have had safety concerns about the tunnel and about the jagged stone steps in that area.

The landscape architect feels that once the tunnel is planted with grasses, it’s going to keep the kids away. I think the play surface around it will help, although there is a lot of stone in that area and there’s really no plans to change it.

Q. There are some questions about the whole design but you say we don’t have any plans to do anything about it. How did it come about that the design had these features?

I don’t have a good answer for that. It’s just the landscape architect’s design. It was the plan; we accepted the plan. No one questioned it. I don’t know what to say about the stone. Personally, I don’t think they are that great a problem. The old playground was built with stone and concrete.

Q. Does the landscape architect have children?

He does. He designed the park originally and we went to great lengths to get him back. He designs parks and spaces for kids.

Q. Why was the decision made to open it unfinished?

There was a lot of pressure from the community to get it opened. The architect is on record saying that we shouldn’t open it until it was all done. But I thought it would have dragged out more.

Q. You also came up against some uncooperative weather.

Yes. All the contractors thought they would work through this winter. But they got virtually nothing done. They got a couple of days in January, maybe a week in February, maybe a week in March.

Q. Will any more play equipment be installed?

We’re waiting for play equipment from the Parks Department for the two empty spaces. We got a grant from Kathryn Freed for $250,000 a long time ago. We had to go through Parks to spend the money, and they have their own procedure on how to get things done. That equipment should be ready for installation by July 14. One area is for kids five to seven. The other area, with the stripes, is for kids seven to twelve.

Q. What has been the cost for the playground so far and what’s the estimated final cost?

The cost for the first phase is just under a million dollars. The second phase, which includes two pieces of play equipment, is about $550,000. There are lots of plantings that are also going to go around the park. The reason a lot of them aren’t there is because we’re out of funds. Basically we’re down to zero dollars.

Q. Anything you would do differently in hindsight?

Ideally it would have been nice to have just gotten the whole thing done and opened it. The safety things bother everybody. The question I really feel badly about not answering is why the stone. But what else would we put in there? Some people did talk about padding the concrete with some kind of safety surface, but I think that all goes a bit too far. When everything is all finished, the park is going to be great.