The hard work is over and Valley kids are now enjoying the new state of the art playground at the Ansonia Nature and Recreation Center.
The playground was put together from scratch by volunteers over the sweltering weekend.
Most of the people power came from more than 100 workers from Basement Systems, Inc. of Seymour.
The kids starting playing on the new playground on Monday, and the official ribbon-cutting — and “family fun day” — to celebrate the new playground is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.
Work had started Friday and ended 9 p.m. Sunday.
“We are so excited and excited for the children and families using our new playground. I have never seen men and woman work so hard in my life in that extreme heat,” said Allison Rubelmann, Ansonia Nature Center director. “It is hard to put words, we are so grateful and honored to work with such an amazing team of people.”
“Larry Jenesky (Basement Systems’ owner) has been so generous,” Rubelmann said. “The nature center staff and the friends want to thank basement systems from the bottom of our hearts.”
The playground is a cornerstone attraction for the Ansonia Nature Center that introduces young children and their families to the facility and its many programs.
The old playground was abruptly closed after a child sustained a serious arm injury from a large splinter. The equipment was 25 years old.
After the playground was closed, a fundraising effort as launched to raise the funds necessary to buy the new equipment.
Here’s video from the City of Ansonia. It shows Mayor David Cassetti trying out one of the new slides:
The playground is equipped with 8‑foot tube slides, climbing walls, tire swings, wall towers, a sandbox and a separate section just for tots.
The Ansonia Nature Center is at 10 Deerfield Lane. The phone number is 203 736 1053.
