Port Washington North gets $1 million to build park with sensory equipment
Port Washington North Mayor Robert Weitzner stands Monday where a new accessible playground is planned for children with disabilities and autism. Credit: Newsday / Howard Schnapp
The Village of Port Washington North received $1 million in state funding to build a new accessible playground for children with disabilities and autism, allowing the village to move forward with the project in 2025, officials said.
Mayor Robert Weitzner said he hopes for construction to begin on the park by the middle of next year. The playground will be built on a 4.75-acre parcel near Channel Drive and span three-quarters of an acre. The village purchased the land in 2022 for $2.3 million.
The total cost of the project is about $2.4 million, with the rest of the funding coming from the state, village and Nassau County, officials said.
The planned playground will include equipment that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. There will be musical playground equipment, swings and stations — all built with sensory features. The playground will feature a "quiet grove," a small structure equipped with fidget spinners meant to provide refuge for children experiencing overstimulation.
Some equipment will have steps and ramps next to each other, Weitzner said.
“The idea of an inclusive playground is something that I’ve thought about for the last 15 to 20 years,” Weitzner said. “I always felt that if I could ever build one, that I’d want to get the community involved, and ensure that it’s a playground that was so enticing to kids without disabilities, that they’d want to play with kids with them.”
Disability advocates have long called for accessibility upgrades to municipal parks.
The movement toward accessible playgrounds is sorely needed, said Emily Ladau, a disability advocate and editor of Able Newspaper, which is run by the Albertson-based Viscardi Center, a nonprofit that serves Long Islanders with disabilities.
"As a wheelchair user, I never had the opportunity to experience a fully accessible playground while growing up," Ladau, a West Babylon native, said in an interview. "I spent countless recess periods watching as my friends climbed up ladders and swung from monkey bars, but couldn't join in."
Last year, the New York State Comptroller's Office found widespread accessibility issues across the state parks system.
More than 60% of park facilities — restrooms, campsites, swimming areas and playgrounds — could be "improved to enhance accessibility," auditors found. The review spanned from January 2018 to October 2022.
Weitzner enlisted the help of Unlimited Play, a Missouri nonprofit that helps plan, design and build accessible parks, for guidance on designing the playground.
"Play is the very first really international language we all speak," said Natalie Mackey, executive director of Unlimited Play. "It's a natural way for kids to learn about each other's differences and not be afraid of that. So I think these playgrounds promote dignity, understanding and respect."
The Village of Port Washington North received $1 million in state funding to build a new accessible playground for children with disabilities and autism, allowing the village to move forward with the project in 2025, officials said.
Mayor Robert Weitzner said he hopes for construction to begin on the park by the middle of next year. The playground will be built on a 4.75-acre parcel near Channel Drive and span three-quarters of an acre. The village purchased the land in 2022 for $2.3 million.
The total cost of the project is about $2.4 million, with the rest of the funding coming from the state, village and Nassau County, officials said.
The planned playground will include equipment that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. There will be musical playground equipment, swings and stations — all built with sensory features. The playground will feature a "quiet grove," a small structure equipped with fidget spinners meant to provide refuge for children experiencing overstimulation.
Some equipment will have steps and ramps next to each other, Weitzner said.
“The idea of an inclusive playground is something that I’ve thought about for the last 15 to 20 years,” Weitzner said. “I always felt that if I could ever build one, that I’d want to get the community involved, and ensure that it’s a playground that was so enticing to kids without disabilities, that they’d want to play with kids with them.”
Disability advocates have long called for accessibility upgrades to municipal parks.
The movement toward accessible playgrounds is sorely needed, said Emily Ladau, a disability advocate and editor of Able Newspaper, which is run by the Albertson-based Viscardi Center, a nonprofit that serves Long Islanders with disabilities.
"As a wheelchair user, I never had the opportunity to experience a fully accessible playground while growing up," Ladau, a West Babylon native, said in an interview. "I spent countless recess periods watching as my friends climbed up ladders and swung from monkey bars, but couldn't join in."
Last year, the New York State Comptroller's Office found widespread accessibility issues across the state parks system.
More than 60% of park facilities — restrooms, campsites, swimming areas and playgrounds — could be "improved to enhance accessibility," auditors found. The review spanned from January 2018 to October 2022.
Weitzner enlisted the help of Unlimited Play, a Missouri nonprofit that helps plan, design and build accessible parks, for guidance on designing the playground.
"Play is the very first really international language we all speak," said Natalie Mackey, executive director of Unlimited Play. "It's a natural way for kids to learn about each other's differences and not be afraid of that. So I think these playgrounds promote dignity, understanding and respect."
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
