Audit for DPW · June 17, 2026
Parks Blitz: what we found at the four neighborhood playgrounds.
Newburgh Plays walked Xavier Lunan, Hasbrouck, Tyrone Crabb, and Audrey Carey with a certified playground inspector and a camera. Below are the issues we observed and the ideas worth considering, grouped per park into three buckets: what the city could do with crews and materials on hand, items that would need a line in the budget, and items neighbors and Newburgh Plays could help organize.
Nothing here is a directive. We are putting what we found in one place so the conversation can move. Decisions on what to take on, what to budget for, and what to partner on are the city's.
Xavier Lunan
66 Courtney Ave, the Heights
In good shape overall. A few clear refresh items, room for one or two simple add-ons.
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.
Hasbrouck Park
10 Hasbrouck St
Strong bones. A few specific issues, mostly refresh and replant.
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.
- Replant the front-of-fence beds.
Tyrone Crabb Memorial Park
94 South St, across from Horizons on the Hudson
Our best-kept park, across from Horizons on the Hudson Elementary. A few clear additions would round it out.
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.
Audrey Carey
251 Liberty St
One of our most beautiful parks. The paths and the rubber are the urgent issues; the rest is refresh.
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.
Items that would need a line in the budget
The "what the city could do" and "what the community could do" items run on existing resources. The items below are the ones that would need actual dollars to buy or build. Costs land as DPW scopes vendors.
| Park | Item | Kind | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xavier Lunan | Kid-height drinking fountain and water tie-in | Water | TBD |
| Hasbrouck | Inclusive swing seats (with optional frame reorientation) | Play equipment | TBD |
| Hasbrouck | Spinner | Play equipment | TBD |
| Hasbrouck | 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 |