By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — A community-wide project to rebuild the children’s playground at Compo Beach got a kick-start Wednesday.

That support came when the Board of Selectwomen unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding to start the project’s planning phase with Play by Design LLC, a playground design company from Ithaca, N.Y.

But Play by Design will not construct the redesigned playground. It will be built during a one-week communal undertaking next fall by members of several local nonprofits, joined by other volunteers who want to pitch in.

“It’s intended to be a community-sponsored activity,” said Jim Marpe, former first selectman, who represented the Westport Rotary Club and Rotary Foundation at the selectwomen’s meeting. 

The Rotary Club is making a large donation to fund the new playground in honor of its 100^–year anniversary in 2024, Marpe said after the meeting. Another large donor for the playground, he said, is the Westport Young Woman’s League.

The playground was “basically built by volunteers” 35 years ago, Marpe said. About 20 years ago, a project to upgrade the playground was carried out by some of the same groups helping fund the latest renovations.

“It’s again starting to age,” he said of the beachside playground. Plus, technology has progressed and accessibility requirements have changed, making it a good time to upgrade and renew the facilities.

The cost of the project is estimated to be between $350,000 and $500,000, according to Jennifer Fava, the Parks and Recreation Department director. 

The planning and ordering portion of the project will begin early next year, Fava said, with the one-week community build expected to take place in the fall, probably sometime near the end of September, she said.

The Parks and Recreation Commission must approve the plans, and a fundraising committee will also be established. A survey is also planned to gather input on the design.

The memorandum of understanding signed Wednesday lists these objectives:

• Install equipment and make renovations to comply with accessibility guidelines set by the American with Disabilities Act.
• Address deferred maintenance of the playground, such as removing excess sand and obsolete play structures.
• Construct equipment more compliant with safety guidelines from the American Society for Testing and Materials and the U.S. Consumer Commission’s criteria for public playgrounds.
• Provide enhancements “to make the playground more in keeping with current recreational norms.
• Increase sight-line visibility to give adults better views of children they are supervising
• Design and build the playground with features that will make long-term maintenance of the facilities more convenient for the Parks and Recreation Department.

According to the memorandum, the Westport Rotary Club will take responsibility for the construction contract, oversee the design and construction process with the Compo Playground Select Committee, and secure insurance. The Rotary Foundation will take on other roles, including acting as the depository for fundraising and providing funds for the design and construction of the project.

The Compo Playground Select Committee will consult regularly with Play by Design, the town and the Rotary Club during the design and construction phases of the project. It also will  recruit volunteers for fundraising, site and construction management, and for “Construction Week,” when workers will be needed to build the playground. 

The memorandum was signed by First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker;  Kenny Epstein, Richard Benson and Susie Basler, representatives of the Rotary Club and Foundation; Samantha Owades and Bridget Flynn, co-chairs of the Compo Playground Select Committee, and a representative from Play by Design LLC. 

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist and journalism teacher for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman newspaper for 10 years and teaches journalism at Southern Connecticut State University.