WESTWOOD, N.J.—McKinley Park is set to receive its long-awaited playground upgrade in fall, completing nearly two decades of planned playground renovations across the borough.
The current playground will be removed shortly before the anticipated Oct. 1 installation date. The project is expected to take a few weeks and will be funded through the borough’s capital account, with matching funds from the Bergen County Open Space Grant. Playground upgrades began in 2007 at Meadowbrook Park and continued over the years at Voorhis, Westvale, Hegeman and Brookside parks.
The new McKinley Park playground will include infant and child swings, a parent-and-infant swing, a dual-child swing, slides, a buckle bridge, rope-venture and rock-wall climbing features, a smaller toddler and preschool area, and an inclusive spinner designed for all sizes and abilities. The playground also will have new borders and nearly 6,000 square feet of wood-fiber playground surfacing.
The adjacent reading garden, created by Troop 321 Eagle Scout Elisabeth Maul and opened in April, will receive two new outdoor musical pieces. McKinley Park also features tennis courts with pickleball lines, a small basketball court and a bocce court.
Schematics for the new playground can be viewed at westwoodnj.gov/recreation. Residents will be notified before construction begins through local media, Community Pass emails, social media and the borough website. For updates, follow Westwood Recreation on Facebook and Instagram at @westwoodnjrec or visit westwoodnj.gov/westwood.
For more, email Recreation Director Gary Buchheister at gbuchheister@westwoodnj.gov.
— Via Westwood Recreation