By Jeff Bahr
On a rainy and raw Tuesday, November 22, the Bloomfield Recreation Dept. held a
ground breaking ceremony at the Wright’s Field playground area.
The happy event was held in response to a $230,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) aimed at refurbishing the playground area. Bloomfield Director of Recreation, Michael L. Sceurman, moved the proceedings along swiftly to help avoid heavier rains that were forecast for the region. He pointed toward the recently bulldozed playground area and explained that the previous “outdated”
equipment had simply outlived its “service life” and that much of it wasn’t ADA
compliant: a situation that will be rectified with the new setup that will include “transfer stations” for those visitors in wheelchairs. Sceurman credited Director of Community Development Glenn Dominick as “instrumental” in furthering the development of Wright’s Field, as well as other parks and play areas in Bloomfield.
Before turning over the first spade of dirt, a jovial Mayor Raymond McCarthy spoke
about the project. “It was about 34 years ago that I came down here and I met my wife and we came down to play softball down here,” said Mayor McCarthy. “And I thought then, coming out of Hoboken, I thought it was Yankee Stadium. Now as I look around at all the work that’s been done, with the Babe Ruth field, the Little League field and now this field, I don’t know what to describe other than this is a great accomplishment!”
According to Sceurman, the new playground will be divided into three distinct areas: A section for children ages 2-12, another for kids 5-12, and an area that will feature
spring-loaded animals for children to ride on. Sceurman added that “barrier-free rubberized safety tiles” will be used throughout, and that the new facility would be finished in time for the opening day of Little League season.
