Politics & Government

Hamden Park Rehab Work to Start This Spring

With approvals in place, Larry's Park is set to get a facelift.

 

With the Legislative Council's expected approval next week to spend more than $250,000 to rehab Larry's Playground at Basset Park, the work is expected to start this spring, town officials said.

The council's Public Works and Parks Committee approved authorizing Mayor Scott Jackson to apply for, accept and spend $259,215 in Local Capital Improvement Project (LOCIP) funds for the work to upgrade the popular playground. The full council will vote on it Monday, where it is expected to pass.

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"It's not only a town park, but it's the park that the most children use," said Chief Administrative Officer Curt Balzano Leng.

Larry's Park is the first in a series of park renovation projects that will take place, Lend said, to get the town's parks up to safety codes.

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"We will be selecting the next park based on safety reasons and liability," he said.

Once the approval is in place, it will take five to six weeks to take delivery of the equipment once it is ordered, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Julie Smith said. Work should start in May or June and last two to three weeks, she said.

Council member Carol Noble questioned if the funds for the other renovations would come from LOCIP funds as well.

"Is the money being received in the LOCIP fund just for Larry's Playground?" she asked. "Are we going to have to go out for more money?"

There should be enough funds left in the LOCIP fund for the other playgrounds, whose projects are smaller in scope than Larry's Playground, Leng said.

"Capital money and LOCIP can be used in more of the upcoming projects," he said. The LOCIP fund will still have more than $700,000 available, he said, more than enough for the other projects.

Councilman John DeRosa said he would like to see the playground at Bear Path School included in that list. But Leng said as part of a school, it wouldn't qualify as a LOCIP project.

"We cn't use LOCIP funds for school playgrounds," he said, "but there have been times that the town's capital money has been used on school projects."

But the greatest priority is safety, Leng said, so if the Bear Path playground needs safety improvements, they will be addressed.

"If Bear Path's playground is a priority, we will look into that," he said. 


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