Congratulations to the Town of Plymouth for organizing the very successful soft re-opening of Stephens Field on Friday, Aug. 2. My young friends and I heard screams of delight as we approached the park from Union Street shortly after noon. The newly paved road and sidewalk made it easy for us to roll our wagon filled with a lunch cooler. We talked about how the park had been transformed from huge piles of dirt to this newly constructed amazing space.
We passed the rejuvenated basketball court. Two pickle ball courts had players batting away and the children’s playground was abuzz with activity. It was fascinating to see how different aged children explored the playground equipment— younger children were a bit cautious if they were on their own, but older children between 8 and 10 darted to each shiny, new play machine.
The most popular playground area on opening day was the very tall, but ingeniously constructed slide. There are two ways to reach the top: children can climb on ropes much like sailors climbing rigging on 19th century ships or they can climb an inclined rubber ramp all the way to the top. Girls and boys raced to the top both ways – some took the lower slide and others moved further up to the covered slide that brought them zig-zag sliding from top to bottom.
Adults had settled into the comfortable benches placed conveniently to the side of the play areas, checking their phones, occasionally looking up to locate their children. I noticed walkers on the paths that surround the playground. One woman had stopped on the harbor side path to use her hand weights. She kept taking glances at the hive of activity on the playground.
The whole complex is universally designed to accommodate everyone who wants to have some outdoor fun. This space will entice old, young, physically fit and challenged -vthose who simply want to take a walk around the duck pond, others who want to play tennis, pickleball, or basketball, or the young who will climb, push, or pull themselves up on the new playground equipment. The Town of Plymouth has provided a recreational space for all its citizens.
Many thanks.
– Judith A. Fosdick