Playground Progress: Butler, Joey's Park Updates

The two playgrounds that were shut down by the town and school department nearly one year ago will soon have events that will mark milestones for both sites.

At Tuesday's School Committee meeting, Oct. 2, Belmont School Superintendent Thomas Kingston said that all indications are that the Butler Playground will soon be going up.

Construction work continues at the White Street location as crews lay the foundation for the playground equipment, said Kingston.

He noted that Butler Principal Micheal McAllister said the preliminary work will be completed soon and "within 30 days, the community will be asked to come together to construct the playground."

After the equipment has been positioned, the rubberized mat will be set in place, said Kingston.

Over at the Winn Brook School, the inaugural two-mile Walk for Belmont to Benefit Joey’s Park will take place next week to raise money for a new playground. Joey’s Park was originally built through a huge barn-raising in memory of a brave 12-year-old boy who succumbed to cystic fibrosis.

The walk-a-thon will be held Sunday, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m., beginning and end at Joey’s Park behind the Winn Brook Elementary School on Cross Street.

The cost will be $10 per person and $20 for families.

The walk-a-ton comes only weeks after a successful "Design Day" where children at the school helped make suggestion to playground designers and nearly 500 residents and students attended a preliminary release of the proposed blueprint of the new structure.