Community

Riverhead Town installs new playgrounds in Wading River, Calverton

Two new playgrounds were installed this month in Wading River and Calverton and children are already making use of them, according to Riverhead Town officials.

The old equipment at Wading River beach was battered by nor’easters over the past nine years, town parks and recreation superintendent Ray Coyne said at last Thursday’s Town Board work session.

It’s now been replaced with a new set, complete with several slides, meant to withstand the weather on the shoreline thanks to a coating of specialized coastal paint. The new set could last about 15 years, Mr. Coyne said.

The playground, which cost $50,000, was up and running last Saturday morning and children were already using it, according to Mr. Coyne.

“The kids had their own ribbon-cutting,” Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter said, noting that scheduling conflicts had prevented a formal playground opening.

Meanwhile, a playground geared toward smaller children, ages 2 to 5, is expected to be ready this week at Veterans Memorial Park within the Enterprise Park at Calverton.

The play equipment cost $23,000, and the safety surfacing beneath it cost $14,000, Mr. Coyne said. The town saved $17,000 on the scaled-down size, which could be put toward resurfacing lines at the Stotzky Memorial Park hockey rink, he said.

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Courtesy photo: The new playground at Wading River Beach.