After suffering from neglect during the pandemic, the Charles R. Wood Park and its “Pappy’s Playground,” a naturalistic play area named in honor of Wood, will be restored and maintained at a higher level and on a regular basis, promises Lake George Village Mayor Ray Perry.
At a July 28 meeting of the Warren County Board of Supervisors’ Parks committee, Perry and county Superintendent of Public Works Kevin Hajos announced they both had agreed to dedicate at least three workers each, one day a week, to the maintenance of the twelve-acre park.
According to Hajos, the number of hours that one of his department’s employees had spent at the park in the past was reduced because revenues from events – the prescribed source of funds for the park’s maintenance – had decreased.
Restoring Charles R. Wood Park
By 2023, “Pappy’s Playground” had become so overgrown that it was unusable by the children for whom it was built.
Moreover, some of play area’s wood components have deteriorated to such an extent that officials say some must be replaced, in all likelihood by less expensive, more conventional playground equipment.
“If elements deteriorate to a point where they are unsafe, they will be removed,” said Kevin Hajos.
A concentrated reclamation effort by Village, Town and County public works crews, however, at least has made the area accessible again.
“You couldn’t even see the open Festival Space from the play area, the weeds were so high and so thick with invasive plants,” said Mayor Perry. “The vegetation has now been cut back and the area raked and mulched. It’s now low enough to be kept mowed and maintained. “
An Intermunicipal Effort
At the July 28 meeting, Perry commended Hajos and the Public Works Department for taking part in the reclamation effort, which included weeding, mowing and trimming the park’s perimeters and exposing many of the site’s natural features.
Perry said, “I’m so proud of everyone who worked an entire week to help get this place back into shape. At one point, we had twenty people working there.”
That score of people included: staff from the Village’s Department of Public Works and the Water Filtration Plant; Warren County’s Department of Public Works; and employees of the Town of Lake George’s Department of Buildings and Grounds.
“Jim Martino, the head of the Town’s Department of Buildings and Grounds, assigned seven workers for three days to the park,” said Perry. “Unlike the Village of Lake George and Warren County, the Town of Lake George has no ownership stake in the Charles R. Wood Park, so I’m especially grateful to the Town for devoting a crew to this job.”
Perry told the Supervisors’ Committee, “This collaborative effort shows what can be accomplished when everyone works together on a project that benefits everyone.”
Restoring “Pappy’s Playground”
“Pappy’s Playground” was designed and constructed with a $500,000 grant from the Wright Family Foundation and was intended by the park’s lead designer, the Saratoga-based firm Elan, to be “an interactive natural children’s play area organized by habitat type – water, wet woodland, dry woodland, and meadow.”
According to Kevin Hajos, “After a decade, the play area has begun to show its age. Wood is starting to rot. Some features need to be replaced with new installations. Others might require just an upgrade.”
“There was no maintenance plan,” said Perry. “Had there been one, it is unlikely that we would have found ourselves in this position.”
Perry said he met recently at the site with designers from Elan, who agreed draft a design for improvements as well as write applications for grants to fund the restoration, construction, installation and maintenance of the play area’s features.
Applications will be submitted to private foundations and state agencies, said Perry. He said he would also seek corporate sponsorship for some features.
“We are on the way to resolving all the issues to everyone’s satisfaction,” said Perry.
