New York State Senator Pete Harckham announced on Friday, Nov. 1, that he was able to secure a $75,000 state grant to refurbish a children’s playground here at Ryder Park. The announcement was made at a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Ossining Town Supervisor Elizabeth Feldman, which also included State Assemblymember Dana Levenberg and other local officials.
The improvements made to the children’s playground center on a new set of ADA-accessible playground equipment modules and a new surface of poured-in-place rubber surfacing, which is much safer than the playground’s previous woodchip surface.
This project was made possible through two State Senate grants, one for the new surfacing, which Harckham secured, and one for the new playground equipment, secured by former State Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick in 2022, when he represented Ossining.
“This new surface at Ryder Park will provide children of all abilities and backgrounds with a safer environment to play and enjoy,” said Harckham. “I am proud to partner with my former colleague Elijah Reichlin-Melnick in supporting our municipalities, as they enhance their parks and playgrounds to improve recreational spaces while alleviating the financial burden on local taxpayers.”
Levenberg, who was the Ossining Town Supervisor when the project was initiated, said, “It is such a pleasure to see this project come to fruition. Having safe, accessible playgrounds improves quality of life for families in so many ways. Upgrading this much-loved park in this way will not only make it more accessible, but will also reduce annual maintenance costs for Town taxpayers. I am very grateful to my colleague, Senator Pete Harckham, and his predecessor in our area, Elijah Reichlin-Melnick, for allocating funds for this project to the Town of Ossining. Thanks are also due to my successor, Liz Feldman, and the Town’s fantastic Parks staff for seeing this project through.”
“We are thrilled to have this new larger playground at Ryder Park with areas for all ages and abilities. The new ADA recommended poured in place rubber surfacing helps with accessibility and the added musical components are enjoyed by all ages.” said Feldman. “Senator Harckham has been an excellent partner for the Town of Ossining, enabling us to complete many exciting community projects. In fact, the Village of Ossining had a playground ribbon-cutting just two months ago that was also made possible through his support.”
Ryder Park is one of the largest parks in Ossining, offering three baseball / softball diamonds, tennis courts, an enclosed dog park, a basketball court, and a pavilion with picnic tables and grills. It is an inclusive space for individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds.
Harckham secured a $75,000 Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology Program (CREST), which is administered by the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) to support community and economic development. Harckham has delivered more than $30 million of State Senate grant funding to municipalities, first responders and nonprofits in the 40th Senate District since taking office in 2019.
