When will the Willow Park Playgrounds be ready?
The short answer is we don’t know exactly, but it will be soon.
Some good progress was made with laying most of the rubberized surfaces in the fall before it was halted by snow and cold weather. What remains is a final coat of rubber on certain areas of the playgrounds, swing installation, finishing the curbing around the exercise area, as well as a few other punch list items. Once completed, a final inspection will be done, and certification of the new playgrounds issued.
We are working with the vendor, Play By Design, to see when these final fixes can be completed. We need warmer temperatures and at least three days of no rain prior to them doing the work. We are told that we are the first priority for the rubber company once they begin work again this spring.
Now that warm weather approaches, we understand and share the frustration of the community that this project has taken much longer than planned. The original timeline went awry when staff discovered problems with the vendor's original curbing and other issues. Ensuring that the new playgrounds are completed properly has been and must remain our focus.
Normally, the Town tries to get Willow Park open early in April. For sports teams, this is as soon as the field conditions allow. Team leaders can contact Chris Barbagallo at the Town offices (802-445-1333) for news on current field conditions.
This year based on the weather and the current situation at the park, we are aiming to open to the general public around April 17th. While it’s unlikely the playgrounds will be completed by that time, we do hope it will be very soon after that. We will keep you all posted.