|
|
| 08/22/2007 | | Ground broken
for Hubbard playscape | | By: Amanda Falcone
, Staff |
MERIDEN -- Sarah Bogdanski Bourdon believes groundbreaking ceremonies are more
important than dedications.
Groundbreakings mean that a project has finally arrived, she said.
Tuesday, she lifted a shovel full of dirt and posed for pictures at the groundbreaking for
Hubbard Park's new playground - one that will be built in her son's memory.
Noah Bourdon, the 1-year-old
son of Sarah Bourdon and the city's recreation supervisor, Chris Bourdon, died in August of last year. He fell from a
playscape at Baldwin Pond and struck his head.
But Tuesday's ceremony was not only for Noah. Sarah Bourdon
said the groundbreaking was an opportunity for people to celebrate the momentum of a community.
Both Chris and
Sarah Bourdon said Noah's Ark of Hope, a nonprofit organization created last year to raise money for the playground, received
many donations, including a noteworthy $50,000 from The Rotary Club of Meriden. There were many fundraisers throughout the
city, they said.
"Those events didn't go unnoticed," Sarah Bourdon said.
The idea for a new
playground for Hubbard Park was not sparked by Noah's death, Chris Bourdon told a crowd of about 100 Tuesday.
He discovered Meriden was in need of a safe, barrier-free playground in 2002 when he became certified as a playground inspector,
he said. A Hubbard Park Playground Committee was created, and it started to raise money for the project. In 2006, he and Sarah
decided to create the nonprofit organization.
"We decided that directing that community support toward this
project was the right thing to do," he Bourdon said.
The 13,000-square-foot playground still does not have
a name, but it will be a barrier-free playground, and featuring age-specific areas. It will be located near the parking lot
across from Hubbard Park's swimming pool.
Construction will begin in the next few days, and the first order
of business will be to dry the area. Drying the land also will benefit the soapbox derby track nearby.
The playground's
playscape and swings will be installed this fall, while the sensory garden, sand play area and net climbers will be made available
for use in the spring.
"All our children are going to benefit from the strength of Chris and Sarah,"
Mayor Mark D. Benigni said. "This project will be something special for Meriden."
©www.MyRecordJournal.com 2007 |
|
