To those not from the immediate area, it may look more like a crime scene than an area where many a child has had plenty of good memories. That, of course, is what can happen when a public area is marked off with caution tape.

 

The good news in this particular situation is that there was no crime committed. The even better news is that come this spring there’s a really good chance a lot of new memories will be made.

 

According to Bridgeport City Manager Kim Haws, new playground equipment – primarily the main playground apparatus – for the park situated at the Briarwood Development will be put in place early next year.

 

“The City of Bridgeport is very committed to providing our neighborhoods with recreational opportunities. We feel like it’s counterproductive to have all the recreation in the city in one central location to it’s important to keep parks such as (Briarwood) up to date,” said Haws.

 

Briarwood’s park, as it turned out, was getting out of date. Because of that, Parks and Recreation staff reacted to make sure it wasn’t getting dangerous.

 

“What we basically did was take out the old rotten playground. The main post structures that held the playground equipment up was rotting away,” said Parks and Recreation Director Don Burton. “It was a safety issue because the rot was the bottom of the redwood posts and after about 12 or 15 years of it being there it was time to make a replacement.”

 

With the new main playground feature purchased, the next step is to have it installed. Burton said he hopes that can be done within the next couple of months.

 

“Some of the work can be done in cold weather, but it can’t be too cold. When you’re dealing with installation freeze and thaw issues are something you have to pay attention to,” said Burton. “We have plenty of time, but we would like to get it addressed and installed sooner rather than later.”

 

Haws also wants to see it up soon. And he said there’s a good reason for it.

 

“We want that to be continued to see use by families. Ultimately, that helps strengthen families and the goals of being together as a family,” said Haws. “We hope to see it soon next year.”

 

Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Joe  Shuttleworth said the project is in the range of $25,000. That includes the equipment and the installation.

 

Editor's Note: Top photos shows Joe Shuttleworth in the area where the new playground upgrades will be made, while the bottom photo is a rendering of something similar that will be installed.