A new Children’s Park is planned for Champlin Beach in Hammondsport, one with a special theme.
When completed, the Children’s Park located off state Route 54 willfeature play structures, climbing units, balance beams and other items that look like dump trucks, bulldozers, tractors, fire trucks and more.
The inspiration for basing the playground pieces on work trucks and rescue vehicles came from Urbana Highway Superintendent Doug “Fluffy” Robinson, who has spearheaded the effort.
“When I was a kid, on the way to school I would see public works trucks coming off the hill, and I told my teachers that was what I was going to do when I grew up,” Robinson said. “I thought if kids had a chance to see this type of equipment, maybe they would think about doing this type of job, or become a firefighter, or they would just have a good time at the playground.”
The park, Fluffy’s Children’s Park at Champlin Beach, will be named in Robinson’s honor. A Hammondsport grad, Robinson worked for the town for two decades before being elected highway superintendent in 2018. Robinson previously organized “Fluffy’s Touch a Truck,” a program that introduces local kids to heavy machinery and highlights possible career paths.
Robinson said work on the children’s park will start in the fall and be completed sometime in the summer to early fall of 2027.
An event was held in early June at the future park location, bringing kids together to enjoy bounce houses and equipment shows while raising money for the future park.
“We will start putting in the drainage, pipes, groundwork to level the park and things like that in the fall,” Robinson said. “Work to install the six play structures, sand play area, picnic tables and the fencing will likely begin next spring.”
Those interested in donating to the project can do so online at Friends of Hammondsport Area Trails and Parks, Inc.
The new public park will be the latest in a string of improvements in the Hammondsport area, including a new pier at Champlin Beach and the new Glenn H. Curtiss Park. Other projects are active through a $4.5 million NY Forward grant.
This article originally appeared on The Leader: New children’s park planned on Keuka Lake. What makes it unique
Reporting by Jeff Smith, Corning Leader / The Leader
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Jeff Smith, Corning Leader | USA TODAY Network
