The new playground along Constitution Avenue in Hellertown’s Dimmick Park is larger and designed to be safer than the one it replaced. It was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sunday afternoon.
Although it’s already been attracting curious young visitors for nearly a week, the new playground in Hellertown’s Dimmick Park wasn’t officially “open” until a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held with borough officials and the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce Sunday afternoon.
State Rep. Bob Freeman (D-136) was also on hand for the dedication.
Kids present for the ceremony were invited to help cut the ribbon, which they did, before flocking to try out the brand new equipment many families have been eagerly eyeing; equipment which includes towers, ropes, ladders, bridges, slides, tunnels, swings and even a built-in music player.
Approximately 33 percent bigger than the playground it replaced, the playground dedicated Sunday includes modern safety features such as a bouncey surface that provides cushioning if someone hits it a bit too hard.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant playground is also landscaped, encircled by a waist-level-high fence, and will have sidewalk access from Constitution Avenue as well as a parking area.
Signage is in place to help parents learn about which equipment is appropriate for which ages, as well as to spell out the playground rules, and there are benches as well as a picnic table for seating inside the playground.
There is even a free game app parents can download from Google Play or the App Store that is specifically designed for use in the playground.
“Wow,” said one parent upon seeing the playground for the first time. “This is awesome!”
Ground was broken for the $500,000 state-of-the-art playground in April, and it was originally scheduled to be completed in early June. A wet spring, however, delayed the project’s completion by about a month.
Funding for the project came from grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Financing Authority Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program: and the County of Northampton Community Development Block Grant Program.
Children present for the ribbon-cutting ceremony were treated to free Italian ices from Rita’s, courtesy of Barry Isett & Associates, the engineering firm that worked on the playground project on behalf of the borough.
The playground–like all borough parks and recreation areas–is open daily from dawn til dusk.
Children line up to receive free Rita’s Italian ices courtesy of Barry Isett & Associates.
Hellertown borough officials, board members from the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce and State Rep. Bob Freeman (D-136) were joined by a coterie of excited kids to cut the ribbon and officially open a new state-of-the-art playground in Hellertown’s Dimmick Park Sunday.
The new playground in Hellertown’s Dimmick Park is encircled by a waist-high fence and incorporates other safety features that are now recommended for public play areas.
