The Junior League of Pelham presented plans to revitalize Woodland Park at the March 25 meeting of the Village of Pelham Board of Trustees, outlining updates, repairs and expansions needed due to heavy use of the playground during the ten years since its construction.
Amanda Star, Junior League president-elect, described a project that would include a butterfly garden, fixed equipment and a bioswale. The updated playground on Wolfs Lane would also have musical instruments, a treehouse, a bridge and a toddler section, with the park in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Star said the Woodland Park work would cost $350,000, of which the Junior League has raised $100,000. The group plans to ask Assemblywoman Amy Paulin for grants to cover the remaining $250,000, she said.
The playground equipment will be installed on May 16, if all goes to plan, and the bioswale and a community garden at a later date, according to Star.
Allison Anderson of the Junior League said the bioswale design would naturally filter stormwater runoff with layers of rocks and pebbles and help grow a garden by absorbing the water. The butterfly garden would be a home for pollinators and include native plants. Outside of the playground, community garden beds would be planted to grow fresh produce, Anderson said. Educational signage around the bioswale and the garden is also included.
After village board members raised concerns about maintenance of the garden beds, Anderson suggested there could be two-year agreements with community groups like the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts or Pelham Seniors to maintain the garden.
“One of the best things about Pelham is our public spaces and the sense of community from gathering in public spaces,” said Anderson. “These ideas that we’re presenting are about making public spaces more functional, more vibrant and ultimately about enhancing our sense of community and our community resilience.”
The Junior League is trying to locate a water source for the gardens, a water fountain and a potential water-themed art piece.
Village Administrator Christopher Scelza said the group would have to tap into the water main on Wolfs Lane, but this would not be a big issue though the Junior League would have to be patient with a long process.
Last spring, the Junior League announced its next signature project—those it takes on every five to eight years—would be revitalizing Woodland Park, “temporarily” postponing plans to provide a major resign and upgrade to Julianne’s Playground because of the then-ongoing negotiations between the Pelham school district, which owns Julianne’s, and the Village of Pelham over the use of part of the park for a large sewer project planned by the village. In the end, the village board voted to invoke eminent domain to install underground tanks and above-ground diesel pumps in one area of Julianne’s Playground, and the school board decided not to appeal the move.
At its March 25 meeting, the village board also approved a contract with software company T2 Systems for parking enforcement and approved joining other Westchester County municipalities in opposing a rate increase requested by Con Edison.
