"If there's one image that sums up suburban quality of life, it's a child playing in a safe, clean neighborhood playground," said North Hempstead Supervisor May Newburger, as she and town board colleagues Anthony D'Urso and Doreen Banks announced their preliminary plans for the town's most extensive playground construction and improvement program in 35 years. Among the specific plans in the proposal will be a new playground in downtown Manhasset and the refurbishment of all existing town-owned playgrounds. Playgrounds in Roslyn include Roslyn Park, Donald Street Park, and Shephard's Lane Park.

Under this proposal, a new playground will be constructed on the west side of Mary Jane Davies Green on Plandome Road, Manhasset, the site of many popular summer concerts. Originally proposed by local residents and civic organizations earlier this year, town officials studied the idea and decided that the Manhasset community had a new, growing need for a public playground.

All 15 public playgrounds operated by the town government will be assessed and ranked in order of the need for new, improved equipment and other improvements. Three existing playgrounds have already been identified as high priorities where work would begin in 1999. These three playgrounds are those at Martin "Bunky" Reid Park in Westbury, Donald Street Park in Roslyn Heights and Broadway Park in Garden City Park, and each will be furnished with playground pieces that meet the latest safety standards.

"We're always concerned about the safety of children playing in our parks, and regulations for equipment safety have changed little by little over the past several years," observed Councilman Anthony D'Urso, who has been personally involved in playground construction projects before and after his election to the town board. "Some of the equipment in these parks should be refurbished or replaced with some of the exciting, fun and very safe playground pieces that are now on the market."

Over the next several years, any playground equipment in a town-operated park which does not meet the latest, most stringent safety standards would be replaced.

The playground initiative will be formally proposed as part of the town's five year capital spending plan, a reform initiated by the town board in 1997. The supervisor will present a proposed capital plan for the town board's consideration in the fall. If approved by the full five-member town board, construction and refurbishment projects could begin by the spring of 1999, and would continue in stages over the next few years.

Precise cost estimates for the first phase of the playground initiative, the new Davies Green playground and the first three refurbishments, are being developed by the town's Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works. They will be completed and presented to the public after the proposed 1999 town budgets are released in late September.