Published: August 28, 2008 08:24 pm      

NIAGARA FALLS: New playground slated for spring

Repairs, new equipment needed for site on Portage Road

Standing on a badly damaged parking lot in the shadow of a long vacant South Junior High School building, members of the Niagara Organizing Alliance for Hope proudly proclaimed the site as the city’s next public playground on Thursday.

And while the current condition is far from being a recreational haven for children, the promise of its transformation is much better than the current alternative of having no playgrounds in the city’s east side, said the Rev. Rex Stewart, one of the leaders of NOAH.

“Right now children are playing in empty lots with make-shift equipment,” he said. “It’s a dangerous situation for children.”

The property, located along Ferry Avenue between Portage Road and Tronolone Place, is owned by the school district and being offered to the city to use for free. Once operational, the playground will fill a void left in the east side neighborhoods left from the sale of the 13th Street gym and the 10th Street park, which were sold by the city to Niagara Falls Redevelopment.

NOAH and block club leaders have been asking city officials to find a new playground for almost a year. During a brief gathering at the site Thursday, NOAH members publicly thanked city and school officials for working together to benefit neighborhood children.

“One of the hopes of NOAH is raising the quality of life for the people in the city and county,” Stewart said. “This park issue is just one of the grand examples of our vision.”

Public Works Director David Kinney said plans for the site include installing a couple basketball hoops and playground equipment geared toward children ages 5 to 12. Summer recreation programs similar to ones offered at other city parks will be scheduled.

Before any of that happens, however, a pothole-filled asphalt lot next to the greenspace has to be resurfaced and a fence needs to be put up around the site. Kinney said those things should be done before winter and he expects the playground to be fully operational by next spring. Other issues such as security and hours of operation still need to be worked out, he added.

While the school district is offering the property’s use for free, the city will pay for repairs, equipment and maintenance. Kinney said the city may have some old surplus playground equipment stored away, but it won’t be brought to the new site unless it’s still in good shape.

“I want to get this done and make it a good quality,” said Kinney, adding Community Development grants may be available to pay some of the costs. “I don’t want to put junk in here.”

The new playground area will not include use of the old South Junior School, which has been closed for several years due to its interior condition. The school district has considered selling the property in the past, and if it does so, the city will once again be looking for a new playground site — a possibility acknowledged during Thursday’s announcement.

“We’re just thankful that today we will finally have a playground,” said the Rev. Frances Douglas of True Deliverance Temple on Niagara Street. “This is not exactly what we’re looking for, we still want a permanent one.”