Eddie Williams Playground
Location
Mount Vernon, NY
Status
Designing
Construction Completion
2028
Site Area
0.25 Acres
Construction Cost
$850,000
People Served
17,269
Special Features
Mound Lawn, Spray Shower Area with Leaf Sprays, Painted Games, 2-5 and 5-12 Play Equipment, Seating Area
Like its neighboring 4th Street Park, the Eddie Williams Playground – better known as “the Coolout” by Mount Vernon residents – needs major reconstruction. Both active community spaces are adjacent to the soon-to-be renovated Doles Recreation Center, a city-owned community center in the city’s South side that focuses on promoting health and wellness for individuals of all ages through physical fitness and leisure.
The Eddie Williams Playground equipment is outdated and broken, resting on asphalt that is buckled and poses tremendous tripping hazards. As New City Parks works with the community on a new vision for the playspace, the city of Mount Vernon’s DPW recently addressed some of the uneven surface by repaving it.
Working closely with residents and program leaders at the Doles Center, NCP is establishing a vision and partnerships to design and deliver a destination playground for younger residents of the adjacent housing project, along with shaded seating areas for senior users of the Doles Center. Improvements to Eddie Williams are expected to be made in coordinate phases to create a transformative, multi-generational outdoor recreation hub surrounding the Doles Recreation Center.
Proposed full schematic design for Eddie Williams Playground.
