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Vol. 2, No. 15
Wednesday, July 19, 2000
[Home]
In order to gather some community preferences as to color, an informal survey was taken prior to our color selection meeting using the color palettes provided in the GameTime catalog. A chart was posted on the bulletin board (and on our website) with the palette selections and cards asking folks for their five top choices in order. The chart was also brought to the July 11 meeting and top choices made by the attendees. Many thanks to all those (30 respondents) who provided feedback (young and old alike). A point scoring system was used where the top choice received 5 points, the second choice got 4 points, etc. Not everyone made 5 choices however. The complete results of the survey will be posted on the palette page on our website. A brief summary of the top 8 choices is given below.
# PaletteName Score (Roofs/Tubes Uprights Accents Plastic Decks)
#2 Medieval 46 (Gray Green / Green Gray Beige DarkGreen)
#4 Elementary 43 (Yellow Blue Green Red Beige DarkGreen)
#14 Arctic 30 (Blue Gray White Gray Blue Blue)
#17 Coastal 30 (Blue Green Blue Green Beige Beige)
#12 Natural 28 (Beige Brown Green Beige Beige Brown)
#18 Berry 28 (Green Blue Blue Red Green Red)
#8 Contemporary 24 (Teal Purple Purple Purple LightGreen Beige)
#20 Rainbow 21 (Rainbow Rainbow Red Light Green Blue DarkGreen)
It is notable that all but one of the 20 possible palette selections received at least one vote. It basically reflected that our community has quite a diversity of opinion on colors, which might be divided into those looking for more muted tones and those looking for more vibrant tone.
There was an important meeting of the play structure committee on Tuesday, July 11, 2000 at the Miller's. Among the attendees were Chairperson Lorraine Miller, Jane and Don Quinn, Len and Pearl Saunders, Bob and Lisa Mobilia, Valerie Razis, Deedee Antonelli, Molly Moneruff, Daphne Richardson, Ann Dorfman, Eleanor Ambrosio, Ted Kuklinski, and a variety of toddlers. The main topic of discussion was the color selection for the play structure.
Additional factors came into play on our structure in selecting colors. At a previous meeting it was decided to go with a different style of roof. It turned out that that particular roof only came in a gray color. There were also other factors to consider such as the limited color selections for certain panels in the play structure. After a lengthy discussion and much looking at the actual deck, plastic, and metal color samples, the committee reached a consensus on colors for the play structure. The color palette chosen was a combination of gray, teal, cranberry, and a dark green (for the decking). These color selections represent a compromise between muted colors and brighter colors. Teal is a mix of green and blue. The cranberry is a reddish color with a touch of violet.
The deck was chosen as a dark green (a dark color hides scuff marks better). The roof will be gray with cranberry highlights. The support posts will be cranberry. The metalwork will mostly be gray. The slides and plastic components will be mostly teal. The Thespian Panel will be in Green and Beige while the panels with steering wheels will be red. It is quite similar to the existing drawing on the website with teal replacing green and gray replacing beige. The web drawing will be updated as soon as a new drawing is obtained from GameTime.
The structure has the following components: a transfer platform (for wheelchair access), a dual rumble and roll slide, a "race time" panel, a "hi-wave" and a "lo-wave" bridge, a "tic-tac-toe" panel, a "fire engine" panel, a contoured seat panel, a clover climber, an access ladder, a "thespian theater" panel with two toad stool seats, a quick "L" tube slide. The extents of the structure are 25 feet 9 inches by 21 fee 1 inch. The play area including safety zone is approximately 38 x 34 feet. The transfer platform will be closest to the existing pedestrian gate on Princess Road. We will need to provide either a stone dust, concrete, or asphalt path from the gate to the play area entrance (with appropriate grade).
There was also some discussion on the question of a 2 bay toddler swing versus a new 4 bay swing (2 regular, 2 toddler). The main question was whether we could fit a 2 bay toddler swing into the existing area and still meet separation guidelines. We generated some drawings in different configurations to see if this was feasible. On Tuesday, July 18, some of the play committee members (Lorraine Miller, Ted Kuklinski, Jane/Don Quinn, and Len Saunders) met with GameTime representative, Doug Knotts, at Wellington Park to measure out the possibilities. While desirable to keep the toddler swings within the timber/Fibar area, it was felt that it pushed the structure too far toward the gate and greatly expanded the timber/Fibar area. It was agreed to instead go with a new 4 bay swingset to replace the existing 2 bay swingset. The area required by the new swingset would be minimally more than the existing swingset. It's height would be 8 feet, versus the 10 foot height of the current swingset. We would surface the new swingset with sand for the immediate future due to cost considerations. Those present favored cranberry as the color for the posts for the new swing (subject to additional input from others) to match the play structure posts and visually tie things together. If you feel strongly about the color of the swing set posts, please let us know what you think (cranberry, teal, gray?).
The website will be updated shortly with the planned configuration. After review and approval by the Parks and Recreation Department, we hope to place a purchase order in the near future for the play equipment through NCSC. Our build date is planned for September 16. Please let us know if you are able to help on that weekend and what you might like to do. Please send email (WellingtonPark@aol.com) or leave a message at 969-6222.
Come out and play a little hoop on Wednesday evenings at the Wellington Park Court. Our basketball activities are organized by Anny Myers, nearby resident and coach of the Newton North High School girls basketball team. It has been going successfully for two weeks now and the number of players is growing. The action has been quite competitive By the way, congratulations to Ann on her 1 hour, 29 minute finish in a triathlon (Wrentham) over the last weekend.
Last week, we set up a volleyball net on Thursday evening (July 13). A small volleyball clinic was held for the local children on hand (our future Olympians). Watch for future announcements and a signup sheet. If enough people indicate interest, we will set the net up. If you are potentially interested in volleyball at Wellington Park, send email to volleyball@wellingtonpark.8m.com and indicate your best evenings.
On July 25, 2000 at 4 p.m., the Teen REACH program at Newton Community Service Centers ("NCSC") will officially unveil and open its free teen skate park in West Newton and host a performance and autograph signing by Andy Macdonald, multiple time X-Game gold medalist and overall No. 1 standing skateboarder in World Cup Skating. Macdonald, (a Boston area native and graduate of Newton North High School), also a spokesperson for the national organization, Partnership for a Drug Free America, will appear at NCSC following his competition in the Gravity Games in Providence, RI this weekend (in downtown Providence, free!). You may have seen him on ESPN's X Games, ABC's Wide World of Sports, or last years Gravity Games on NBC. His photo is on the Skateboarding US Postage Stamp issued at last years X Games.
The dedication event will take place behind the Newton Community Service Center, 492 Waltham Street, West Newton, just a short walk away from Wellington Park. Tell your friends! Get complete details at http://www.ncscinc.com/skate.htm.
If you haven't sent in a contribution yet, please do so. Our fund is currently approximately $3500. This, along with the city's allocation of $12,500, gives us about $16,000 to work with. We are taking steps to have the city transfer the allocation to our NCSC park fund account so that we will be in a position to place a purchase order with the vendor in time for September delivery.
Your contributions are tax deductible thanks to our sponsorship by the Newton Community Service Center (www.ncscinc.com). If you wish to make a donation to the Wellington Park Fund, please make out your check to NCSC, Inc. and write "Wellington Park Fund "on the check and send it to:
Newton Community Service Centers, Inc.
Wellington Park Fund
492 Waltham Street
West Newton, MA 02465
There is a continuing need to keep the bags at the park entrances filled with small bags that can be used to pick up dog poop. So if you have any such bags from newspapers, grocery stores, etc., just bring them down and stuff them into one of the supply bags.
Were you wondering what all the TV trucks were doing on Princess Road on Monday? No, they didn't come to do a story on Wellington Park as the most improved park in the country! However, two of our local canines may be appearing on the NBC Today Show (perhaps on August 7). Golden retrievers, Henry and Sadie, may be stars in a segment on the topic of pet health insurance.
The Newton Community Service Center's Child Care (Infant, Toddler, Preschool, and After-Kindergarten) Programs are looking to hire full or part time teachers (or subs). Please see their website www.ncscinc.com/jobs.htm for details or call 969-5906 and speak with Lonnie (x123) or Margie (x132).
Please get on our email list. You will receive the Wellington News directly by email. It is the fastest and easiest way for our organization to keep in touch. Just send an email to WellingtonPark@aol.com or call (617) 969-6222 and leave a message. Or if you wish to be removed from the list let us know the same way. And of course, check out our web site http://wellingtonpark.8m.com. All back issues of Wellington News are available online.
If you are not wired, just read our high tech cork bulletin board at the park. You are most welcome to submit items for publication here (childhood remembrances about the park, opinions, yard sale notices, etc.) by email or regular mail (Wellington Park News, c/o Ted Kuklinski, 24 Henshaw Terrace, West Newton, MA 02465-1632).
Please make sure the Velcro tape is sealed along the side of the plastic cover so that rain doesn't get into the board. Lately, we have had a lot of information on the bulletin board related to the play structure not leaving too much room. If you have other notices, please try to keep them small enough to fit in the currently available space and keep them under the plastic cover. Please report any vandalism of the bulletin board to the police and to us at WellingtonPark@aol.com or 969-6222.
We have also started using clipboards at each entrance for meeting notices in order to not have the need to trek over to the bulletin board. This system makes it easy to change notices easily.