Atlantic Beach reopens renovated Putnam Park playground

Atlantic Beach held a ribbon cutting on July 5 for the newly renovated playground at Putnam Park, capping a yearlong project that village officials say began shortly after the current administration took office last summer. The Friends of the Village of Atlantic Beach, a nonprofit that funded much of the work, sponsored a community celebration afterward that included a Hewlee ice cream truck, according to the Nassau Herald.

Mayor Barry Frohlinger credited Trustee Laura Heller, the Village Board, the Department of Public Works, local beach clubs, nearby condominium residents and roughly 80 village families whose donations supported the project. He called it a public-private partnership and said the village had time to select equipment built to hold up against salt air, sand, sun and wind.

The redesigned playground has separate areas for children ages 2 to 5 and 5 to 12, a six-seat swing set, climbing structures, slides, a musical drum feature and a fire truck-themed element honoring the Atlantic Beach Rescue Department. It includes a poured rubber safety surface that is fully ADA accessible, along with new fencing, retaining walls, landscaping, bicycle racks and engraved pavers recognizing donor families.

Heller said the village could not have afforded to replace the playground without the nonprofit's fundraising campaign, which drew support from residents and local businesses. She said the old playground had deteriorated to the point that it could not have safely reopened this summer without a major overhaul.