The Board of Selectmen unanimously approved a request from the Recreation Department at its regular meeting Tuesday morning to enter into a contract with outdoor recreation equipment supplier M.E. O’Brien & Sons for the renovation of the toddler playground area at Mead Park.
The contract for $94,576 in construction costs includes $41,296 for equipment, $23,280 for site preparation and resurfacing, and $30,000 for installation and labor costs.
The playground at Mead Park is a two-part project, according to Recreation Director Steve Benko. The first part of the project is being spearheaded by the Friends of Mead Park Playground, which was founded by two New Canaan moms, while the second part is being funded by the town in order to replace the section of the playground that houses equipment for children ages 18 months to five-years-old.
“We went through the state contractor M.E. O’Brien, who put in the existing playground years ago, which the moms using the park have been a fan of,” Benko said at the meeting, which was held at Town Hall. “We’re also going to save the existing seesaw that I bought two years ago for the space.”
The plan is to relocate the playground about 10-15 feet east, away from the roots of a nearby oak tree. The section will be complete with new equipment and a special rubberized surfacing, “which will give it a nice, soft surface,” according to Benko.
“When we get done, probably around October, we will have a nice, new and attractive playground for families in town,” Benko said.
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kit Devereaux approved the request in the absence of Selectmen Nick Williams who was not in attendance.