Reed Webster playground reopened last weekend with the unveiling of new equipment funded by Honeywell.
Town of Camillus officials, Honeywell representatives, volunteers and neighbors gathered Saturday afternoon for a ribbon cutting ceremony and a chance to experience the brand new $20 thousand playground addition.
The playground renovations were initiated by a group of mothers who live across the street from the park.
Leslie Petty, who lives directly across the street from the park, said she began e-mailing Camillus councilor Kathy MacRae nearly three years ago to ask something be done about the outdated, rusty playground equipment.
It was outdated in the seventies, Petty said of the old playground. It was ugly and rusted, she said, and it was time for something new.
Petty, a mother of four, and neighbors Margaret Morrell and Katie Assaf were the driving force behind the initial renovations. All three women live across the street from Reed Webster; between them, they have 11 children.
When Eric Bacon became parks and recreation director for the town, Petty said, the ball finally got rolling and the first improvements were made to the grounds.
Bacon said the money budgeted annually for that sort of development was enough to purchase what became Phase I of the Reed Webster project, but more money was needed to go further.
That funding came in the form of a partnership with Honeywell.
Honeywell owns the Reed Webster property and leases it to the town. The company donated about $20 thousand towards the expansion of the jungle gym, addition of new swings and other equipment.
It’s the perfect size for the kids around here, Petty said.
Camillus Town Supervisor Mary Ann Coogan called the revitalization a great example of what happens when people work together.
In tough economic times, it’s amazing what we can do when we work together, Coogan said.
