(Posted March 16, 2020)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
It’s been a long time coming, but Plain City’s Pastime Park now has new playground equipment.
The brightly colored, multi-faceted equipment is located near the north entrance to the park. It is comprised of two structures, one designed for 2- to 5-year-olds and the other for 5- to 12-year-olds. Both structures offer monkey bars, climbing apparatus, slides and interactive play stations.
The equipment cost $55,000, which the village covered with funds from the parks and recreation department’s operational budget and money leftover from the recent campground improvement project at the park.
In addition to having new equipment installed, the village tended to the old playground equipment, some of which dates back several decades. A crew from the public works department moved the old swing set to a new spot behind the municipal pool. They also removed the old slide and other equipment that no longer meets safety standards. A new bed of mulch now surrounds what remains of the old equipment, including the jungle gym, springy teeter-totter, and bouncy characters.
The village had planned to dedicate the new playground equipment on March 13 but cancelled the ceremony amidst concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19).
On March 15, Linda Granger, parks and recreation director, reported that the village planned to install a hand washing station, equipped with water and hand soap, next to the playground. Anyone who uses the equipment is asked to use good hygiene, she said.
Granger noted that the parks and recreation department recently completed a master plan for Plain City’s parks. More parkland, walking trails, and play areas are needed as the village grows, she said.
Currently, the village is working with developers of Madison Meadows, a new subdivision going in at the corner of Plain City-Lafayette Road and Perry Pike, across from Country Place Condominiums.
“Our hope is to have a nice shelter there, along with a walking trail, playground, and open green space big enough for activities like soccer, football, and lacrosse,” Granger said.
One of the village’s goals is to incorporate walking paths, where possible, into all new subdivisions.
“The ultimate goal is connectivity from neighborhood to neighborhood,” Granger said.
A village ordinance requires that new housing developments dedicate at least 20 percent of the development’s acreage to green space, pay a fee in lieu of this requirement, or agree to a combination of dedicated green space and a fee.
