The newly installed playground in the Clymer Town Park. Submitted photos

CLYMER — A new playground has been installed at Clymer Town Park.

The installation was an all-day project Oct. 7 that included members of the community, the Clymer Town Board and Highway Department. Tod Kolstee, Town Board member, volunteered to oversee the project.

“Rebuilding the playground at the Town Park was a vision of supervisor Travis Heiser and some current and past elected Town Board members,” Kolstee said. “The town created a Park Reserve Fund for the purpose of re-installing playground equipment and other park improvement projects. I joined the Town Board in 2018 and volunteered to lead the playground project.”

The idea and initial investigation of what it would take to improve the old playground in the park began in 2019. At that time, the Town Board applied for a grant to begin working on the project.

“The town applied for a Community Service Grant through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and was notified of the grant award in October 2021,” Kolstee said. “We’d like to thank the staff and volunteers at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. Without their financial support, the project would not have been possible.”

Partnering with the company Parkitects, a 2,600-square-foot playground proposal featuring a dual slide, overhead climbing structure, swings for both 2 through 5 and 5 through 12 age groups and a saddle spinner was created. Altogether, it took until the planned installation date of Oct. 7 to get everything in order.

“Nathan Emery from Parkitects, along with the Clymer Highway Department and local community volunteers participated in the build,” Kolstee said. “The playground was opened the following week and is available to the public. Additional excavating and access path work is planned for the spring of 2023.”

The Town Board received multiple volunteers and other forms of help from the community, especially from local businesses that provided things such as equipment and food for the installation day.

“We’d like to thank the Clymer Hardware and Home Center, Neckers Company General Store, the Dutch Village Restaurant, Eastern States Metal Roofing, Uriah Yoder and Steven Enlow,” Kolstee said. “We’d also like to thank Scott Trisket, Michael TeCulver, Kevin Damcott and Steven Enlow from the Clymer Highway Department for their involvement throughout the project from site preparation to equipment installation.”

The new playground is now open to the public.