Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • June 11, 2014 Midland Park Work completed on ADA playground; pavilion is next A new playground 100 percent accessible to young children with disabilities is now reality at the Dairy Street recreation complex in Midland Park. It is appropriate for children two to seven years old. The facility is a dream come true for Borough Clerk/ Administrator Addie Hanna, whose own handicapped son did not have such facilities when he was growing up. “I know how important a place to exercise and release energy is for children with disabilities,” Hanna explained . She said the existing playground, installed in the late 1980s and still in usable condition, is outdated and does not conform to current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. The borough received a $75,000 Open Space, Recre- ation, Historic Preservation and Parkland grant to do the work and will match it with an equal amount from its own open space trust fund. The new playground features six sensory pieces of equipment, including a roll exerciser to develop young muscles; a climbing piece half of which is wheelchair accessible; and a climbing spider web with a slide attached. Two new stationary vehicles are geared to younger chil- dren, and a new ADA swing replaced a 50-year-old model that had failed safety standards. “The new swing faces the playground so the child using it feel more included, and so the sun doesn’t blind the user,” Hanna said. Wheel chair matting surrounds the playground, and soon asphalt will be poured for a better connection to the parking lot and to even out certain areas. But the concept for the total project suitable for family fun is not yet realized. Plans call for erecting a pavilion between the older playground and the Johnny Vander Meer Field bleachers, which were recently replaced. Once the pavilion is completed, a new pathway will connect it to both playgrounds and the bike/walk path near the fenc- ing. This will provide a handicapped-accessible path more than half a mile long. The borough is awaiting final confirmation on a $30,000 county Open Space Trust matching grant awarded last year for the pavilion to begin work on the project. The structure, smaller than but similar to the existing pavilion at Wortendyke Park, could be used by parents accompa- nying their children to the playground or sports events, for summer camp activities and for residents wishing to have a picnic or simply sit down and relax in the shade, Hanna said.