New Kent Playground a Community Effort
A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new playground at Kent Town Hall held on Sept. 12 marked the end of a long process that included the efforts of many in both the public and private sectors.
Kent Supervisor Maureen Fleming said at last week’s ceremony the idea for the new playground came about in 2016 through the generosity of the Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel.
“The people at the monastery said they wanted to give us a contribution to the town,” she recalled “They said they wanted it to be something valuable to the town. I started thinking what that could be.”
Fleming said she brought the playground concept to the Chuang Yen Monastery “and they were ecstatic. And then I brought it to the town board and the town board voted unanimously to accept the very generous gift from the monastery and build this playground.”
The monastery provided part of the funding for the playground, which has been open for two months, and Assemblywoman Sandy Galef provided a state grant for the project. Additional funding for the project was provided by Carmel-based A-Class Builders, which is co-owned by partners Amit Patel and Brian Finney.
The project was done under the direction of town acting recreation director Jared Kuczenski, with employees of the department “helping at every step,” Fleming said.
Bhikkhu Bodhi, a monk serving at the Chuang Yen Monetary, said the monetary wanted to give back to the town. “We are very happy and privileged that we’re able to contribute,” he said. “It’s very useful, I think, to have a playground, a place where children from throughout this particular township can come to play together, to meet each other and enjoy their time.”
Galef said, “I didn’t know how cooperative this effort was. This is a wonderful way to take an idea and involve so many different people.”
“There’s so much learning on a playground at a very young age,” Galef, a former teacher, said.
Fleming said “the really special part of this playground” is that it is accessible for children of all abilities.
