Aldermen in Nashua voted 8-6 this week to allow for a handicapped-accessible playground to be built in the city’s Greeley Park.
The vote puts to rest an issue that has divided city residents for nearly two years.
Debate over where to build the playground has been contentious and personal at times, and project organizer Eric Brand says he’s glad that’s now in the past.
“We are very happy to be able to start moving forward towards getting a final design that we can that we can hopefully this construction going next year.”
Brand is with a group that for the last two years has been working to donate the $250,000 playground to the city.
Some residents objected to the group’s proposal to build it at the site of Greeley Park’s 70-year-old playground.
A recent third-party study determined the park’s east side was the best spot, so the old playground will remain, and the new one will go across the street.
Now that the site is finalized, Brand says the group needs to finish work on the final details.
“I am sure it’s going to take a couple months by the time we work towards concept, get public input, and then we still have to go for final design approval from the Board of Aldermen before we could even say this is what we’re going to build.”
When finished, it will be the state’s largest fully handicapped accessible playground.
