Toddlers of Linwood rejoice: the Linwood Recreation Centre playground will be getting some fun new additions in the not-too-distant future, with an eye on making it more accessible for the tots. Four new pieces of equipment are being added: a new set of swings, teeter totter, spring rider and “spinner.”
The additions, estimated to cost $14,000, are being commissioned from Openspace Solutions Inc., a Wellesley-based company. The project is being paid for through grants received by the Linwood Recreation Board.
“Well we had some feedback from some of the residents saying that it’s great that there’s swings, but the smaller kids can’t use them,” explained Lori Sebben, chair of the board, which is a volunteer group organized under the Wellesley Township council.
“And there’s not as much … smaller things for toddlers. There’s a lot for the 7- to 12-[year old] range, but nothing for the 2 to 5 range. So we kind of took that to heart and said, ‘Well you know what? Let’s add some pieces.’”
The Linwood Recreation Board received two grants to fund the project, explained Sebben, as well as a donation.
“One was the community matching grant through the United Way, and we got a $500 grant for that. And then we got a Healthy Kids Community Challenge grant for $2,000,” said Sebben. “And then we also had a donation from our wing night people. They do wing nights once a month in the wintertime for the last couple of years. So they gave us a $2,000 donation as well.”
The swing set will feature two seats for children ages 18 months and up, a four-seat spring rider, a teeter totter for the slightly older crowd, and the spinner, which rotates about on a vertical incline.
Exactly when the equipment will be set up isn’t certain yet. It will take about six to eight weeks to order the equipment first, after which it will still need to be installed.
“It’s a nice little addition for the town,” said Sebben.
