River & Roots seeks donations for fence at new downtown playground

There may be a new playground at downtown’s River and Roots Community Garden, but the work isn’t done yet. The River and Roots group is now seeking donations to install a fence around the newly-built park.

While the Riverhead Rotary Club has agreed to make a donation for the fence project, River and Roots still needs $1,000 to cover the full cost.

The new playground – the only one in downtown Riverhead — was finished last week and is located next to the garden near Grangebel Park. It includes a slide, seesaw and jungle gym.

The playground cost the town $51,374 to build, according to a contract awarded by the Town Board four months ago. The project is being funded by a Community Development Block Grant, which comes from federal funds, rather than town property taxes.

River and Roots organizer Laurie Nigro wrote in a press release issued Monday that any donation, “large or small, will go far and help us complete the transformation of this little piece of downtown.”

Checks can be made payable to Riverhead Rotary Charities, which is accepting donations on behalf of the garden members, and mailed to River and Roots Community Garden P.O. Box 2129 Riverhead, NY, 11901.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly indicated that the Rotary Club was raising funds for the fence.