New Playground Equipment at Charlotte Beach

Under beautiful, sunny skies a group of 25 volunteers worked last week to install new playground equipment at Charlotte Beach. Kids of all ages are going to love it.

The old playground equipment was nearly 35 years old and had entertained generations of children, but even a quick glance showed it had earned its much-deserved retirement.

The centerpiece of the new set is a large play structure with a variety of slides, ladders, and a huge blue fish named Kahuna. There is an “Accelerator”, which will be fun for groups of kids, an all-new swing set, and a spider web-like climbing structure. Along with new equipment, the play area was redesigned to combine the formerly separate areas into one that everyone can enjoy. The design allows for playground additions in future years.

Led by Bill Fraser-Harris, chair of the Charlotte Recreation Committee, and Nicole Conley, the Town of Charlotte recreation director, the group worked hard and had a lot of fun assembling and installing the structure. They mixed and poured about 40 bags of concrete, spread two tractor-trailer loads of playground wood chips, and did their best to make sure everything was assembled correctly. Nicole, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for this new amenity–she advocated for a new playground for the past four years and will now get to enjoy it with her son Jordan, along with all the other kids, parents and grandparents in Charlotte.

Special thanks to Justin Mansfield and his crew from Pettinelli & Associates for providing the equipment and much-needed technical direction. They were great to work with.

There are a few remaining details to wrap up before the equipment will be safe to use. Until then, please stay off the structure. A grand opening is expected in mid-August.