Cranbury officials celebrated a new inclusive playground in Village Park that allows for children with disabilities to enjoy more playground equipment features.
Mayor Eman El-Badawi, Township Committee members, and Parks and Recreation Commission members were joined in the celebration by residents, State Sen. Linda Greenstein, Assemblywoman Tennille McCoy and Assemblyman Wayne DeAngelo for a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of the new playground on Sept. 5.
“Every moment we are able to serve the needs of our community is important,” El-Badawi said. “But this one in particular is very sweet because it started with a resident in town who was lifting the idea that their child could not really play appropriately, comfortably, and happily on a playground.”
“You feel like it was meant to be. [When] everything kind of stood in [the playground’s] way and time stood in its way, the funding came through and people remained interested.”
The new inclusive playground replaces the previous playground that existed in Village Park.
“The new playground has inclusive play areas so someone with special needs can access the majority of the playground via ramps. We also have an inclusive whirl, swings and what is called a sway table,” Recreation Director Ken Jacobs said.
For the new playground to be installed the township needed $400,000 to cover the project’s total cost. Greenstein secured Cranbury $300,000 in state funds for the project through the state budget for the 2024 fiscal year and $100,000 in township funds accounted for rest.
“Parks alone whether it is this type of park or not are extremely important for quality of life,” Greenstein said. “With these new inclusive parks there is real opportunity to bring in kids who would normally not have a chance. I was thrilled to hear they were going to use the grant money for an inclusive playground.”
Brendan Hanson, chair of Parks and Recreation Commission, said an inclusive playground improves access for all residents.
“That is an important mission for us to make sure our parks are serving every segment of the community,” he said, adding the state funds made the playground project a reality.
“This a probably a two-to-three-year project from idea to the ribbon cutting today. We wanted to be sure this playground was fully accessible and that included making sure that there were ramps that could take you up on the equipment as well as a level surface that you could bring a wheelchair onto.”
Ribbon cutting for new inclusive playground at Village Park in Cranbury on Sept. 5.
State legislators and Township officials celebrate new inclusive playground.
Inclusive playground in Village Park.
