News

By Steve Plunkett

    Renovation of the science playground at Sugar Sand Park hit a last-minute delay in December when workers found three multilevel wood posts showing signs of rot below the surface.
    “Unfortunately that is going to add another time frame to completion of the project,” Arthur Koski, executive director of the Greater Boca Raton Beach and Park District, announced at the board’s Dec. 19 meeting.
    The district, which operates the facility, closed the playground in June 2015 for safety reasons and had hoped to reopen it in late December or early January. The new opening date is late January.
    The playground offers a hands-on experience with interactive components that demonstrate a number of scientific principles. It was originally built by community volunteers more than 20 years ago.
    The refurbished facility will be “all-inclusive” and open to children, parents and grandparents of all abilities.
    District Commissioner-elect Craig Ehrnst, who will take his seat this month, personalized the delay during his campaign by noting that his 9-year-old son was being deprived of an irreplaceable experience. He repeated that theme at the meeting.
    “From a kid’s standpoint or anyone else’s standpoint, it’s very hard to justify it being closed for such a long time or understanding the delays,” Ehrnst said.