Park Playground to close until September

The popular Washington Market Park playground is to be fenced off on May 13 as work begins on the long-awaited new play area, said Linda Lakhdhir, president of the park’s board of directors. The playground will remain closed until the work is completed, which is expected to be by Labor Day.

Lakhdhir had hoped construction could proceed in stages, leaving portions of the playground open, but "time and budget constraints caused by the events of Sept. 11 have made that impossible." The lawn, gardens and benches will remain open, she said.

The new playground will encompass the entire area from the eastern pathway to the newly expanded fence line. It will be divided into areas for toddlers, older children, and water play, with seating interspersed throughout.

"We trust that the result of this work—an expanded children’s playground more than four times the size of the current playground and meeting all current safety standards—will be worth the inconvenience," Lakhdhir said.