Crews have already dismantled the former playground, which Celoron Village Clerk Shirley Sanfilippo said was in “very bad shape.”

The equipment is slated to be recycled. “It could not be reused because the equipment failed to meet the current playground standards,” the village clerk said.

In preparation of the new playground, Celoron received a $165,000 Consolidated Funding Grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation toward its construction. The village also was awarded a Community Impact Grant through the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and a grant from the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation.

Sanfilippo plans to submit another application to the Ralph C. Sheldon Foundation next month for funding to place a solid surface under the entire playground

The former playground at Lucille Ball Memorial Park in Celoron has been removed. Installation of the park’s new playground will take place next spring. Submitted photo

“This will be easier to maintain and it will also allow wheelchair access to the entire playground,” she said. “If we are not successful, we hope to be able to afford to provide a partial solid surface for the handicap playground equipment.”

Sanfilippo noted the work undertaken by the village in the last decade that has improved Lucille Ball Memorial Park. That work includes the construction of the handicap-accessible boardwalk and kayak/canoe launch; the reconstruction of the two public boat launches; the construction of a handicap-accessible amenities building; the replacement of the roof and the construction of the handicap ramp on the Community Center; and the replacement of the roof on the Desi Arnaz Bandshell.

David Hart of Chautauqua Harbor Hotel also donated a regulation-size basketball court in the park, Sanfilippo said.