The Play Hills
The Spider Web. The Mounds. The Play Hills.
The rolling patch of playground by the large dog run goes by many names, but if you’ve got children, it’s a familiar spot no matter what you call it. “It’s amazing to watch the kids build up their physical confidence,” says WSPC Youth Activities Coordinator, Miss Debbie. “Toddlers practice walking, older kids challenge themselves to try different things on the structures, it’s a different kind of playing than they do in the more traditional playgrounds.”
The Play Hills got their name from the rolling graditation created during Phase 3 of the most recent Park renovation. Where the rest of the Park remains at grade, the Play Hills dip below surface level, creating a more exciting and physically challenging play space. The available equipment is also unique, an interconnected web of cables for children to clamber over and utilize as their creativity inspires. “You wouldn’t believe the games that kids come up with here,” laughs Miss Debbie. “The other day I came over to clean and suddenly I was a crocodile trying to steal the childrens’ lunches!”
While the Play Hills in their current form are a newer addition to the Park, that space has been claimed by generations of New York’s children. Before the cabling and soy-turfed hills made an appearance, “The Mounds,” as they were known, was a gathering spot for anyone who wasn’t quite ready for teen plaza. Whether there were monkey bars to swing from, or just an open stretch of asphalt to play tag on, children always seemed to flock to the area.
And that remains true even now, with the cabling gone and metal posts standing empty. On October 8th, NYC Parks employees determined that the cables had become a safety hazard and removed them. Workers had already cordoned off the ladder element on the south side of the Hills, which broke earlier in the summer. One thing is certain, this equipment takes a beating.
Now it’s a waiting game, as NYC Parks secures a contractor that can perform the necessary reinstallation of new cabling. It isn’t a quick process, as the city needs to ensure that the work is done safely and correctly. It isn’t cheap either, with a $37,000 price-tag attached to the equipment alone, with the install garnering an additional fee. But WSPC is committed to securing the necessary funding to restore the Play Hills back to their beloved webbed state. And until then, the kids will just keep playing. After-all, there’s no impediment too daunting for a child’s mind at work.
