Stone said the pollinator gardens also will have a stump jump area the uses repurposed wood from the West Third Street Oak trees that had to be cut down in December.

He said people interested in helping out with the community build should come to the large pavilion at Jackson-Taylor Park at 9:00 a.m. Saturday, “We’ve got a couple hundred cubic yards of wood chips that we’ll be spreading in the playground and then into the planting area once the plants are in the ground.”

A memorial honoring former City Council member Vickye James will be placed in the nature play area. James, who led the community group to build a new playground at Jackson-Taylor Park, died in March.
Stone said the build had been planned for an earlier date until the pandemic interrupted those plans.
The Chadakoin Adventure Trail is being funded through the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and KaBoom‘s “Built To Play” initiative.

Another park project that got put on hold by the pandemic is being readied for construction. Stone said the playground installation for Lillian Dickson Park will take place in July, “The week of July 12th we’ll be doing our initial dig and start removing some of the old material out of there. And then that Saturday, July 17th we’ll be holding the Community Build day to actually put the playground together.”

Stone said the playground is for children ages 5 to 12. He added a new swing set will be installed at the park as well.

Community members and city officials gather on Aug. 14 to unveil the design for the new playground at Chadakoin Park and to urge the community to volunteer some time to help build the park on Saturday, Aug. 25.

JAMESTOWN – Volunteers are needed to help build a new playground at Jamestown’s Chadakoin Park on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Volunteers from the community will join city workers and representatives from KaBOOM! on Aug. 25 to transform an empty site into a kid-designed, state-of-the-art playground.

The entire process is expected to take just six hours, as long as 300+ volunteers show up to help out.

Chadakoin Park is heavily used by the neighborhood for family events, a gospel festival, Juneteenth Festivals and other gatherings.

The new playground is based off of drawings from local children.

In 1997, a community group raised the funds and brought together volunteers to build the current playground at Chadakoin Park. With that playground structure reaching the end of its life, the community group came together again over the last few years to start raising funds to replace that structure.

Funding for the $250,000 project comes from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation as well as local fundraising efforts by various groups on the city’s north side.

In June, kids from the surrounding community came together to draw their dream playground. The playground is based off their drawings and will provide more than 600 kids in Jamestown with a great, safe place to play.

Also, a bike path located on the west border of Chadakoin Park that’s part of the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk that opened this summer provides a link to the new playground for even more residents and visitors.

Anyone interested in helping to build the playground is asked to show up on Saturday, Aug. 25 at 8:30 a.m.  Food and refreshments will be made available for all who volunteer their time.

This is the second playground to be built as part of a broader effort led by the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation’s Built to Play initiative intended to give kids in Western New York and Southeast Michigan more opportunities for free play.

Through the creation of unique playgrounds and the Play Everywhere Challenge this year, the Built to Play initiative will create more than 20 new play spaces for kids that reach thousands of kids in Western New York and Southeast Michigan.

WHEN: Saturday, August 25

• 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Kick-off ceremony
• 11 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Best viewing of playground construction
• 1 to 2:30 p.m. Final construction phase
• 2:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. Ribbon-cutting ceremony (Times approximate)

WHERE: Chadakoin Park
10th and Washington Streets
Jamestown, NY 14701

WHO: Hundreds of community volunteers

A photo from Google Images showing the currently wooden playground equipment in place at Chadakoin Park.

JAMESTOWN – On Monday night the Jameson City Council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign a letter of intent to enter a $150,000 grant agreement with KaBoom! Inc. for the purpose of funding construction of a new playground in Chadakoin Park.

The effort to upgrade the playground equipment has been underway for a couple years now with councilwoman Vicki James (D-Ward III) helping to spearhead the effort. She said she new equipment is needed at the park.

Chadakoin Park has the last wooden playground in the city of Jamestown. It has been grandfathered in and I believe the grandfather clause will expire in a year or two, so [the new playground] will be right on time,” James said.

James said the grant hasn’t been approved yet, but she’s hopeful Kaboom! Inc. will sign off on it.

“We had a 90-minute interview with them, probably two or three weeks ago, and everything looks really good. We’re keeping our fingers crossed and, like I said, we’ve got the lord on our side,” James said, referring to the widespread community support for the project that includes pastors from two local churches.

James also thanked the numerous individuals who’ve helped with the effort to secure the funding, including city Parks and Recreation staff members John Williams and Julia Ciesla-Hanley.

Kaboom! Inc. is a national foundation to help communities pay for playgrounds across the country. If the grant is approved, James said the city would have to pick up the local share of about $10,000, which is being raised through fundraising efforts, with about $8,000 already raised.