By Nathan Duke
More than 150 volunteers hammered and drilled Saturday as they put together a new playground featuring four new pieces of equipment within a period of eight hours at an early childhood center in Howard Beach.
HeartShare's First Step Early Childhood Center, at 82-12 151st Ave. in Howard Beach, held a ribbon-cutting for its upgraded play area following eight hours of putting together the new equipment, which included a fire truck, several slides, a bridge and sensory panels on which children can play music or have their own words repeated back to them.
An estimated 60 percent of the students at the pre-kindergarten school have developmental delays or disabilities, said Carol Verdi, the school's educational services vice president.
“The playground had become ratty,” she said. “It was 17 years old and weathered. It had been repaired before but was becoming unsafe for children. Bolts were rusty, toys were shaky and wood was rotting.”
The school received funding from Washington Mutual bank and construction assistance from KaBOOM!, a nonprofit with a goal of placing a playground within walking distance of every child in the United States.
KaBOOM! had previously helped HeartShare, which provides early childhood services to children with developmental disabilities, construct a playground at their Richmond Hill center on 101st Avenue, Verdi said.
Jim Amoroso of Ozone Park said he provided food for the event because his 3-year-old son, James Jr., attends the school.
“I've never heard of anything being built this quickly,” he said. “It's a great thing for the kids and the community.”
Washington Mutual spokeswoman Allison Goldstein said that $75,000 of new playground equipment was set up at the school during last weekend's event.
The playground will be solely for the school's children and not the community, Verdi said. The school will place a fence around the new equipment, she said.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at nduke@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
