The playground of the future is in N.J., and it lets every kid have fun – NJ.com

Children of all abilities will be able to swing and slide across a new playground designed to let all kids — even those with varying special needs — play.

Essex County’s first “universal access” playground is coming to Watsessing Park in East Orange and Bloomfield this year. A handful of these playgrounds already exist in New Jersey, but are not very common.

“This will be a facility where all the equipment can be enjoyed by every child no matter what physical limitations they may have,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr., said at his state of the county address last week. “Not only is this important because it allows all children to play, but it helps to break down barriers, foster understanding and form new friendships.”

The playground will include new slides, bridges and swings that can be used by handicapped children. The equipment on the playground will also meet all requirements set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Remington & Vernick Engineers from Secaucus have designed the playground for $65,000.

The new playground, which will replace an older one on site, is part of more than $2 million in upgrades planned for the park that include a new community center and parking lot.

Also coming in 2019 is the county’s fifth dog park in Branch Brook Park and a new entrance and parking deck for Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange.

“With a new entrance that will be completed next month and the construction of a 500-car parking deck, we will be able to handle large crowds more efficiently and enhance safety in the lot,” DiVincenzo said.

For the first time in 15 years, however, the zoo’s 2018 attendance did not surpass the prior year’s numbers. DiVincenzo cited last year’s 160 days of rain but said the new improvements would bring the zoo back on track.

This county went from near ‘junk bond’ status to the highest rating. Investors, take note

The ratings measure credit worthiness which signals to bond holders how likely a county or municipality is to pay back its bonds with interest.

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook.

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