We understand the city is putting together a Parks Blitz across our public spaces. These are the issues and ideas we have surfaced at the four neighborhood playgrounds, for the city to consider as part of it. We are ready to help with marketing and communications and to rally parents to pitch in however that is useful.
Entendemos que la ciudad está armando un Operativo de Parques en nuestros espacios públicos. Estos son los problemas e ideas que hemos surfaceado en los cuatro parques infantiles, para que la ciudad los considere. Estamos listos para ayudar con comunicación y a movilizar a los padres como sea útil.
The "Download for DPW" link opens a print-ready version of this audit. Use your browser's print dialog to save it as a PDF and email it to DPW or the City Manager.
How parents can help · Cómo pueden ayudar los padres
Whatever the city wants to structure, we can help organize it.
Different families want to help in different ways. We can rally people for any of the following, in whatever combination the city finds useful. Sign up at the bottom of the page and we will be in touch when there is something concrete to do.
Cleanups at the parks
Removing graffiti
Painting (fences, murals, ground games)
Planting (beds, bulbs, trees, flower boxes)
Communications and outreach to neighbors
Coordinating with schools and youth groups
Hosting a workday at one of the parks
Donating materials or in-kind services
The four parks · Los cuatro parques
What we found at each park.
We walked each park with a certified playground inspector. Below are notes and suggestions from those walks: issues we observed and ideas worth considering. Tap any photo to see it larger.
In good shape overall. A few clear refresh items, room for one or two simple add-ons.
Suggestion The empty fence corner. A great spot for a picnic table with a simple shade above for this very sunny corner, and maybe a grill for cookouts. Issue Graffiti on the main play structure. Issue Broken blue mesh tables. Issue An unused sand pit (a PlayExpress train). Note The rocking horses are aging out. Replacing them is a future-phase question, not part of the Parks Blitz. Issue Graffiti on the 2-to-5 play structure. Suggestion Add more flower boxes along the fence. Planting space inside the park is limited, so the fence is where the color can live. Issue Interior street lamp: confirm it works. Solar is worth considering if running power is costly.
What the city could do
Remove the broken blue mesh tables.
Remove the unused sand pit.
Confirm both interior street lamps work, repair as needed, and consider adding lighting so the park is well lit at night. Solar is worth considering if running power is costly.
Remove graffiti from benches, surfaces, and the plastic structures (clean only, not paint).
A picnic table in the empty fence corner, with a simple sailcloth shade overhead and maybe a grill for cookouts.
Things that need budget
A kid-height drinking fountain with a bottle filler, tapping the existing water line near the splash pad. (Water)
A permanent shade structure over the picnic spot (future phase).
What the community could do
Move the Little Free Library toward the front, or repurpose it as a chalk library stocked with sidewalk chalk if it stays underused.
Add more flower boxes along the front fence and plant them. Planting space inside the park is limited, so the fence is where the color can live.
Cleanups and ongoing care with the Newburgh Heights Association.
Noted for the next phase
The rocking horses and the main older-kid play structure are aging out. Replacing them is a future-phase question, not part of the Blitz.
Strong bones. A few specific issues, mostly refresh and replant.
Issue The old playground sign is falling apart. The bed in front of the fence also needs replanting. Issue The front-of-fence bed: sparse and worn. Suggestion The swings. One thing to look at: reorienting the frame so the area in front of the main play structure opens up for other future equipment. Issue An old, worn baby swing seat. Issue Graffiti on the main play structure. Note The rainbow fence and the corner picnic table. Anchor of the park. Suggestion The central planting area. A good spot to replant with shade-tolerant plants. Issue The rainbow on the fence stops partway through. At minimum, the pattern could be finished. Issue Another stretch where the rainbow runs out.
What the city could do
Replace the falling-apart playground sign with the standard park sign, or remove it if it does not need to stay.
Remove graffiti from the play structure (it is plastic, clean only).
Things that need budget
New swings with inclusive seats: infant bucket seats, an accessible seat, and belt seats. One option to look at is reorienting the swing frame so the area in front of the main play structure opens up for other future equipment. (Play equipment)
A spinner near the rainbow fence and the corner picnic tables. (Play equipment)
An accessible path from the street to at least one ADA-compatible swing, and a second path to the structure if feasible. (Build)
What the community could do
Finish the rainbow pattern on the fence where it runs out, and consider repainting the full fence end to end.
Replant the central shady garden between the two park entrances with shade-tolerant plants.
Our best-kept park, across from Horizons on the Hudson Elementary. A few clear additions would round it out.
Issue The dog waste station is empty, and the dispenser itself needs replacing. Issue The park sign is sun-bleached. Suggestion The splash pad. A kid-height drinking fountain alongside, tapping the existing water line, would round it out: dog bowl, kid height, bottle filler. Suggestion The dirt court. A kid-sized half-court (not adult-sized) with a lower rim would fit here. The brick wall could be patched and given a fresh mural. Suggestion The small concrete pad. Room for a couple of picnic tables and a grill. Issue An empty tree pit, ready for a tree. Suggestion The grass between the main structure and the court. A potential good location for a new swing bay. Issue Graffiti on the main play structure. Suggestion A nice spot for a large-caliper shade tree near the play structure. Suggestion The round plaza. A surface that could host painted ground games.
What the city could do
Replace the sun-bleached park sign with the standard monument sign.
Restock the dog waste station with bags. The dispenser itself also needs replacing.
Repair the bike rack at the plaza.
Remove graffiti from the play tower (it is plastic, clean only).
Assess the worn rubber at the standalone green slide and patch it if it holds.
A couple of picnic tables on the small concrete pad, and possibly a grill.
Things that need budget
Convert the dirt basketball area into a small, kid-sized half-court (not adult-sized) with a lower rim. Patch the brick wall behind it and add a fresh mural. (Build and equipment)
A kid-height drinking fountain with a bottle filler, tapping the existing water line next to the splash pad. The splash pad itself is in good condition. (Water)
A swing bay with inclusive seats. The grass between the main structure and the court is a good candidate location. (Play equipment)
What the community could do
Painted ground games on the small triangular front pad and on the surface by the round plaza (no concrete changes).
Plant a tree in the empty tree grate with proper protection.
Plant a large-caliper shade tree near the main play structure.
One of our most beautiful parks. The paths and the rubber are the urgent issues; the rest is refresh.
Note The current park sign. Issue The rainbow print is buckled and faded. The path needs repair, and the rainbow could be repainted. Suggestion The chess-style tables. Could be replaced with more flexible, multi-purpose seating. Suggestion A small grassy knoll. A possible spot for a small rope-based climbing structure. Note The splash pad area, with a kid-improvised basketball hoop. The nearby small court suggested at Tyrone Crabb could meet this need. Suggestion The rocks. A simple set of balance beams between them would turn them into a small climbing structure. Suggestion A nice spot for a large shade tree. Issue Graffiti on the main play structure. Issue The poured-in-place rubber is in bad shape. Issue A particularly bad stretch of buckled path. Issue The rainbow path mural, faded. Issue The faded mural on the brick at the front plaza. Issue Trash cans tipped over and worn.
What the city could do
Repair the severely buckled pathway sections so strollers and wheelchairs can pass.
Pull up the decayed poured-in-place rubber and lay mulch in its place until the playground equipment is replaced.
Repair the chain-link fence between the park and the school.
Set the trash receptacles upright and repair them.
Install the standard bilingual park sign.
Remove graffiti (clean the plastic structures, do not paint them).
Things that need budget
Add balance beams between the existing rocks to turn them into a small, simple climbing structure. No spinner, no removal: reuse the rocks as they are. (Play equipment)
A kid-height drinking fountain with a bottle filler, tapping the existing water line near the splash pad. (Water)
What the community could do
Repaint the rainbow path (after the underlying buckling is fixed).
Reimagine the small brick plaza at the front. The chess-style tables may or may not stay; gather community input. A fresh mural or paint treatment on the brick is a strong candidate.
Identify the beds and plant them up, including a run of bulbs.
Plant a large shade tree near the play structure.
Noted for the next phase
The main older play structures will get replaced eventually. Footprint to be measured first.
1 / 4 · swipe, tap a park, or use the arrows.
Items that need budget · Lo que hay que presupuestar
In one place, for budget conversations.
The other two categories run on existing city resources or on community time. These are the items that would need real dollars to buy or build. Costs land as the city scopes vendors.
Accessible path to the swing (and a second to the structure)
Build
TBD
Tyrone Crabb
Kid-sized half-court, lower rim, brick patch and mural
Build and equipment
TBD
Tyrone Crabb
Kid-height drinking fountain and water tie-in
Water
TBD
Tyrone Crabb
Inclusive swing bay
Play equipment
TBD
Audrey Carey
Balance beams between the existing rocks
Play equipment
TBD
Audrey Carey
Kid-height drinking fountain and water tie-in
Water
TBD
A future phase, noted but not in this list: a permanent shade structure at Xavier Lunan, and the major play equipment replacements.
Looking further out · Más adelante
The major play equipment is a next-phase question.
This audit covers what we can identify now. Replacing the major play equipment is a separate, larger ask that needs real investment from this budget cycle, future cycles, or grants. Newburgh Plays will keep working to identify those funds.
Replace the aging main play structure at Xavier Lunan.
Replace the aging main play structure at Hasbrouck Park.
Replace the aging main play structures at Audrey Carey.
At Tyrone Crabb, the main structure is fine. Add a new main structure built for younger children.
See something? · ¿Ves algo?
Tell us what we missed.
We walked all four parks to put this together. We will have missed things, and good ideas come from people who live next door. Two ways to send it in.
Caminamos los cuatro parques para armar esto. Algo se nos pasó por alto, y las buenas ideas vienen de quienes viven al lado. Dos formas de mandárnoslas.
An issue at a park
Something broken or unsafe.
Broken equipment, hazards, lighting, drainage, graffiti. Two minutes. We log it, forward to DPW, and follow up.
