Newly renovated playground in Heckscher Park expected to open “soon”

The opening of the newly renovated playground at Heckscher Park in Huntington is expected to take place “soon,” according to Town of Huntington Director of Communications Christine Geed, who was unable to provide an exact date for its official unveiling. While the brand new, brightly colored equipment is currently in place, a fence blocks visitors from entering the area.

The playground has been closed since June, with an anticipated “summer 2024” open date.  The town ensured, according to a Newsday article published in February, that it would be ready for children by Columbus Day weekend for Huntington’s annual Fall Festival. 

The playground equipment, which was last updated in 2006, has been fully replaced, with a new layout that creates age-appropriate sections throughout the space. All equipment now meets the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act, requiring that elements are readily accessible and usable by individuals with disabilities.

The project was expected to cost approximately $1.5 million, with a majority paid for by the town’s parks and recreation capital improvement reserve fund, which covered the cost of equipment. The town’s Environmental Open Space and Park Advisory Fund (EOSPA) covered the cost of replacing the playground surface and the Sheryl Steinberg Collins Foundation agreed to cover the remaining costs of the renovation. 

The foundation, set up in honor of Plainview resident Sheryl Steinberg Collins, who frequently visited Heckscher Park with her four children and grew to love the space, covered the costs of updating the equipment and surface in 2006. The playground was named after Collins during its original unveiling ceremony. The foundation has also taken responsibility for covering annual equipment maintenance costs. 

Stay tuned for an update from the Journal regarding the new playground’s opening date.