Community Corner

Is Greeley Park Good Fit for Accessible Playground?

Some city officials are having second thoughts on a plan to build an inclusive playground at Greeley Park.

Legacy Playground is an ambitious plan to build a $250,000 play structure that is suitable for kids of all ages and abilities – including those who may require wheelchairs or who have other physical or sensory special needs.

Leadership Greater Nashua, a group of rising community leaders participating in a Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce leadership program, has spearheaded the project, targeting Greeley Park because of its unique characteristics – parking and accessibility, shade, restrooms and seclusion.

Construction of the playground would also create an opportunity to address some of the chronic problems in that area of the park, which include poor drainage.

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During the March 14 Board of Public Works meeting, a discussion ensued as to whether other locations were considered. Parks and Recreation Superintendent Nick Caggiano said that in light of the playground's mission, to create a sensory-safe environment for those with special needs, an alternative site, Sergeant Avenue, fell short due to noise and traffic considerations.

Alderman Mark Cookson has said while he supports the idea of a Legacy Park, he feels there are other potential sites worth at least considering, including Navaho Park in Ward 1 and Yudicky Park. He suggests that Greeley Park was targeted prematurely, and other Aldermen have echoed his concerns.

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Ultimately, it is up to Ward 3 Alderman Diane Sheehan to submit legislation for this to move forward, and Sheehan said before she is ready to that, she would first like to have a neighborhood meeting to talk about the proposal.

A few weeks ago I took a walk around the existing playground at Greeley Park with Sheehan to see what exists there already, and how the construction of a Legacy Playground would change the landscape. 

"I'd like it to not feel like Disney World," Sheehan said, "this could be a good place if we can do it in a way that maintains the integrity of Greeley Park."

She noted that the existing playground equipment has been there for decades – a metal jungle gym, a faded plastic sliding board configuration, a pair of swing sets with missing equipment. 

"Look at these swings, or even this sliding board. The scale isn't kid friendly. This park deserves to be enjoyed. Part of the draw of a community is its parks," Sheehan said.

She walked past a wooden board close to the ground that appeared to be a bench for sitting – situated so low it barely reached her ankles. "This makes no sense," she said.

"What I am hearing from some people is that they don't think there should be a handicapped playground. The idea of the Legacy Playground isn't that it is for kids with disabilities – it's for kids of all abilities, so everyone can feel welcome in this place," Sheehan said. 

"Overwhelmingly, I've heard from people who are excited about this opportunity. In the minority are those I've heard from who've gotten misinformation, and who fear it's going to detract from the 'natural beauty' of Greeley Park. I think we have to learn more before we write Greeley Park off," Sheehan said. 

There is quite a bit of background on the Legacy Playground website that explains the concept of a universally accessible playground, which "ensures that each part of the structure provides equitable use for all people, flexibility to accommodate a wide range of individual abilities and opportunities for comfortable use by all people by maximizing the size and space for all to use, regardless of mobility level."

According to the information on the site, Nashua has one playground that qualifies as handicapped accessible, in Roby Park.  The Nashua River Trail is wheelchair accessible and "although both playgrounds are considered accessible and meet ADA standards, they do not meet all of the needs of most individuals in the Greater Nashua community."

Project leader Eric Brand, whose son uses a wheelchair, described the increasing challenge of finding a way for his family to recreate together.

"An accessible playground would enable not just my wife and I, but our other children as well, to interact with our son as they would with any other typical child while simply at play,” Brand said.

The group hopes to break ground this year, once a location is finalized and the fund-raising goal is met. 

Sheehan said there are still a lot of questions that need to be asked –  and answered – and that she would hope all those with concerns about the playground's location would take the time to learn more about it, and then participate in the process.

"I'm sensitive to the issues raised, of retaining the natural beauty and shade at Greeley Park. But this playground as it exists is not ideal. It's worn out. The swings are hard for kids to reach. This contraption," she says, pointing to a green metal shape that looks like a stick-figure backhoe, "pinches kids' fingers. And the ladder on the sliding board is kind of scary. This step is loose, and just try to reach your kid from the ground. It's too high; you can't. It's really not kid friendly as it is." 

"The Legacy Playground is definitely a hot button issue, but Greeley Park is a resource and a gem, and we need to make the best use of it for all the people who want to enjoy our city's resources," Sheehan said.


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