Credit: Gregory Andracke
Over 200 people braved cold and rainy weather on Saturday, March 2, to bid farewell to Stanfordville’s SPARC Park, slated for demolition in the coming weeks. Serving children and their families from neighboring towns, including Pine Plains, Millbrook, Milan and Clinton Corners, the wooden playground has stood as a local fixture since 1991 — the same year the original SPARC Park organizers buried a time capsule on the site during its construction, which remained underground until Saturday.
Members of the multigenerational crowd, all with their own fond memories of the park, cheered as the 33-year-old time capsule was exhumed. Inside was a T-shirt from the original campaign to build the playground, a dollar bill, and poetry written by local children who have since grown up.
Credit: Gregory Andracke
“The time capsule endured some leakage during its 30-plus years underground,” Stanford Town Supervisor Wendy Burton said. “Some of the letters that were still legible were read aloud, and it was actually quite moving.”
Three generations of the Knapp family were among the throng beneath the park’s large wooden shelter, taking cover from the inclement weather.
Isaac Knapp held his 2-year-old daughter, Iyla, after a session of clambering over the old playground. Knapp enjoyed the park himself as a child. “My favorite was the train, but the tunnels were fun too,” he said. When asked how old he was when he last played in the park, Knapp laughed as he admitted he had been 24.
Nearby, Isaac’s father, Tim, looked on. “I helped build this in 1991,” he said. “It took us five days and a lot of people. Everyone pitched in, even my son Nicholas who was just 3 or 4 at the time.”
The eldest Knapp will help build the next park as well, set for construction over a more leisurely eight-day schedule at the end of April. The new SPARC Park will use a variety of synthetic and compound materials and have a new playing surface. Tim Knapp is excited about the project. “I look forward to seeing my grandkids play in the new park, and maybe their kids too,” he said.
Credit: Gregory Andracke
It was clear the current structure would need to be replaced after a May 2022 inspection found multiple safety issues and deficiencies in accessibility. “We have no option but to complete a new building that is ADA compliant and safe for our children,” said Julia Descoteaux, head of communications and marketing for the SPARC Park fundraising campaign.
The SPARC Park team has assembled a staff of crew leaders and volunteer coordinators for the upcoming build, which will include 12-hour days and as many as a hundred workers. Unlike her Uncle Nicholas in 1991, Iyla won’t be able to participate – children under the age of 14 aren’t allowed on site until completion.
“We have already raised about $505,000 as part of the bulk of the building cost,” Descoteaux told the Herald. “Once built, we anticipate a maximum of $10,000 a year in maintenance to refill the engineered wood fiber ground covering, repair equipment and replace plastic coated lumber pieces.”
“It’s wonderful so many children have made memories here over the years – many of these adults grew up in this park,” Descoteaux said. “The fact there are hundreds of people here just shows how much it means to everybody. This has been probably the most rewarding thing to ever happen in my life, seeing everyone. Just incredible.”
For more information, visit the Stanfordville Recreation Campaign’s website: https://www.stanfordvillerecreationcampaign.org.