"Stegasaurus” Playground Rises At Chatsworth
by Joan Simon

Chatsworth parents raise
the stegasaurus-shaped
climber.
(October 27, 2003)
Chatsworth School’s blacktop was a swarm of activity
this past Saturday, with more than 40 fathers of Chatsworth
students busily constructing a new playground for second
and third graders. The newest playground continues
a Chatsworth tradition of cooperative efforts between parents,
the Mamaroneck
School District, the Village of Larchmont, and playground
equipment
designer Brett Haddaway.
The PTA has pitched in with finances and
organization.
A $53,000 gift from
the PTA
to the school
district is paying for the playground.
The
PTA accumulated
the
total over several years of regular PTA fundraising, noted
Philippa Wharton, a Chatsworth parent who organized the
effort. “We were pleased that no special fundraising
campaign was needed for this project,” she said.
Two weeks ago, Larchmont Village foreman Joe Bedard and
a crew from the Department of Public Works arrived with
heavy apparatus to remove the old equipment and stayed
on to help with the construction. There followed many days
of heavy lifting and digging by Mamaroneck School District
buildings and grounds workers, under the guidance of George
McNally. Preparing more than 70 three-foot deep postholes
was really tough, noted Jeff Gibson, who headed up the
district crew for seven straight days. “We ran into
a lot of rock,” he said. Chatsworth parent Ed Gitlin
and carpenters from his company, EMM Design & Construction,
added their much-appreciated professional help.
Nine
dads collaborated on assembling the “Play Shell
Fort,” a puzzling assortment of colorful molded plastic
pieces. “I think the kids could do a better job at
this than the parents are doing,” joked Paul Sarkozi,
father of a Chatsworth second grader, early Saturday morning. “But
it’s going to get done.”
The new playground replaces an earlier one built by PTA
parents in 1989, and enhanced five years ago, again by
parents. “One of the reasons we needed new play equipment,” explained
Chatsworth Principal Jane Hand, “is that the school
is growing by leaps and bounds. While the old place had
enough activities to accommodate our earlier population,
we needed play equipment that would give more opportunity
for play to more children at one time.” Chatsworth
has grown from 575 students to nearly 700 in the eight
years Ms. Hand has been principal, despite the sixth grade
move to the Hommocks. In addition, noted Philippa Wharton, “The
wood was splintering and much of the equipment was too
high for today’s safety standards.”
The Stegasaurus playground joins a long tradition
of PTA-sponsored play spaces in the school district. The
first PTA efforts
were the renovations of the Chatsworth first grade playground
in 1988, and the upper playground in 1989. “It was
great to get people together working on a project,” said
Martha Kaufman, who helped organize those efforts. “ It
was a real community builder.” Parent groups at Murray
and Central School followed suit in the early 90’s
with the first of several playground constructions at those
schools. The Mamaroneck Avenue School PTA also contributed
to their play areas. Before school opened this fall, the
Central PTA purchased several new pieces for their older
student's playground.
Carmen White, who organized the large group
of Chatsworth volunteers this year, was thrilled with the
large turnout
of parents, especially many of the dads who put in long
hours at the construction site. Local restaurants and food
vendors supplied abundant quantities of food. “The
community really pulled together to make this happen,” she
said.
For Chatsworth father Michael Glauber, it was the fourth
time he has helped to renovate a playground at the school.
He praised Brett Haddaway, who has been providing play
equipment to Chatsworth since 1988 and works along side
parents during construction. “He’s not willing
to let things go,” said Glauber. “If something
is a fraction of an inch off, he won’t allow it.”
Reflecting on the change, Chatsworth PTA President Nancy
Winkelstein said, “It’s sad to see the old
go, but it will be great to see the new one up.” Principal
Jane Hand predicted that the new Stegasaurus Playground
would become the defining symbol of Chatsworth.
How many kids can ride
a stegasaurus?
A lot, learns Principal Jane Hand at recess.