Douglas Park to get Natural Makeover

Goodbye old, beaten up playground.  The children will miss you.  But they're going to love your replacement.

The Village of Sleepy Hollow will be tearing down the Douglas Park playground to make way for a new, natural play area this spring.

The initial idea began last year, and has gathered pace with the backing of the village and an active citizens' campaign group.

"There was a rumor floating around that the playground was going to be moved out of the shady spot into the sunny field," said Karin Lane, a Sleepy Hollow resident and a member of the Friends of Douglas Park group.

Lane and other people in the neighborhood emailed newly-appointed Village Trustee Barbara Carr about the idea of keeping the playground in the shade.  Carr suggested they start a group to put their ideas into action.

"I think most people wanted a new, fresh playground but we decided it could be more site specific," Lane said.  "There are so many playgrounds; they don't have to be the same."

Research led to different types of playgrounds, such as the one at Tarrytown's Neperan Park, that have play areas that are built symbiotically into the natural landscape.  Village Administrator Anthony Giaccio also visited Nay Aug Park in Scranton, PA, where a tree house has been incorporated into a wooded area.  The structure wraps around the trees without physically touching them, and is handicap accessible.

Rather than copy the ideas, natural areas will be incorporated into the playground.

The swings will stay, but there are plans for the railroad tie wall to be replaced with a natural stonewall.  Lane said there would also be a boardwalk that will be aesthetically appropriate to the site. Everything will fit into the natural surroundings.  The playground will also be wheelchair accessible and have a custom-built climbing structure.  Trees and native-vegetation will also be provided for landscaping.

 "A lot of these natural elements are good for little kids because if it's a boulder, if they can't climb it they can still enjoy it, the tactile feel of it," said Lane.  "It won't be a natural playground in the true sense of it but it will have a lot of good elements."

"It made a lot of sense particularly for this playground," said Christine Clayton, a fellow member of Friends of Douglas Park.  "It's a lot of fun to make it fit into the environment and it's something a lot of kids enjoy." 

Village Architect Sean E. McCarthy is designing the site and the village's Department of Public Works will soon dismantle the current play facilities and provide some moderate grading work and stabilization.

Last month, Giaccio said the process was going slow but steady. 

"The design process is taking a little longer than expected," he said.  "We have input from other groups.  We're trying to get a more detail oriented design, but so far we like what we see."

The village has set aside a budget of $50,000 for the new play area. They will go out for bids to find a contractor to construct the playground portion of the site. Giaccio said the village is looking to attract a company, such as Henderson, that has experience building natural play areas. The rest of the boardwalk and landscaping would be done in-house by village staff.

"We're listening to the neighbors in the area and making sure they have input in what happens," Giaccio said.

The goal is to start building the playground in April, with additional phases for the boardwalk and landscaping to follow. Initial work should not take more than a few weeks and the use of heavy machinery is not expected – which is great news for the residents that want to preserve the integrity and natural feel of Douglas Park.

"We like our spot," said Lane.  "We like our park and the more it can be appropriate for that site the better.  I hope it's a place that everybody will come and enjoy."