Newburgh Needs New York's Help For State-Of-The-Art Project

City of Newburgh leaders are chasing a massive multimillion-dollar grant to build a landmark recreational destination for local families.

Newburgh is making a push for a $2.5 million state grant to build the city's first inclusive playground at Delano-Hitch Park, right next to the new Aquatic Center

Newburgh Is Pushing For A $2.5 Million State Grant To Build The City's First Inclusive Playground

Newburgh Playgrounds

Mayor Torrance Harvey and a coalition of community advocates are working to secure funding through New York's NY PLAYS grant program to build a brand-new, destination-class inclusive playground at Delano-Hitch Park on Washington Street, right next to the city's $15 million Aquatic Center, which opened last May.

The grant application deadline is June 15th, and the proposed project carries a price tag of $2.5 million.

Mayor Harvey says it's been part of the city's revitalization plan and calls it simply about giving Newburgh kids a place to swim and play. Right now, the city has zero ADA-compliant playgrounds, and the two that previously existed at Delano-Hitch were removed for safety reasons and never replaced.

Newburgh Playgrounds

"This would be for our kids," Mayor Harvey said. "The children can come swim and play at a state-of-the-art playground facility."

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What Could Be Coming To The City Of Newburgh

Newburgh Playgrounds

The proposed playground would span 1.2 acres across six coordinated zones in the northeast quadrant of Delano-Hitch, directly across the path from the Aquatic Center.

The design concepts include an Adventure Highlands area with earth-formed berms, climbing nets, and embedded slides for kids ages 5 to 12; a dedicated Toddler Area for ages 2 to 5 with full caregiver sightlines; a Music Garden and Sensory Trail designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum and those with sensory processing differences; a Central Gathering Lawn sized for about 200 people for community programming; a Welcome Garden bilingual entry; and a Swing Grove with multiple swing types including inclusive harness swings for children with limited trunk control.

The vision also includes future phases that could bring a regulation soccer field, volleyball courts, and pickleball courts to the park.

Newburgh Playgrounds

Three leading playground manufacturers, Earthscape, Kompan, and Landscape Structures, have each developed design concepts for the site. The final design hasn't been chosen yet, and community input is still being collected.