The New Paltz Community that Builds Together, Plays Together

On Oct. 2, the original playground, built 25 years ago, was demolished.
Employees of various Village of New Paltz departments, along with 150 local volunteers worked diligently on building the new Hasbrouck Park playground from Sept. 25 to Sept. 29.
Volunteers worked vigorously to complete the task at hand. All types of tools, including the drill pictured above, are utilized for the back breaking work.
Volunteers labored all day, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., working in three to four hour shifts.
New Paltz Town Supervisor Neil Bettez takes measurements.
The volunteers had all hands on deck as they constructed the new playground.
Young volunteers wear masks to prevent breathing in dust as they spread mulch throughout the new playground.
Exemplifying the true meaning of community, volunteers of all ages and demographics come together to complete the project.
SUNY New Paltz’ Van den Berg Hall can be seen behind the polished park.
The sun sets behind the brand new Hasbrouck Park playground after its completion on Sept. 29.
Volunteers put their finishing touches on the playground after five days of hard work.

New Paltz community volunteers built a new playground in Hasbrouck Park in just five days, from Sept. 25 to Sept. 29. The structure, made of recycled wood composite, features a large sandbox, shaded seating area and lots of room for climbing. It also promises to be safer than the original 25-year-old wooden structure, which has since been torn down.

All photos in this essay were taken by Victoria Garcia for Professor Jane Martin’s photojournalism class in fall 2019.