Officials opened Newtown’s unique new Bicycle Playground on June 7, noting that we are in an era where most entertainment happens on screens — from video games, to tablets, to social media. And the idea of going outside and playing has slowly started becoming a lost art, especially for the youngest members of our communities.

But Newtown is looking to change that and get back to good old-fashioned outdoor fun.

Following a delayed opening because of poor air quality on June 7 from Canadian wildfires, the Newtown Bicycle Playground officially opened to the public June 22, with many children with families in attendance and ready to put it to good use.

The idea for the project was conceived four years ago, according to Clinton DePaolo, chair of the Newtown Parks and Recreation Commission.

After the Newtown Bike and Trail Committee began looking for more ways to encourage bike use in the town and unveiled a bike share program in October 2019, DePaolo came up with an idea for a place for young bike riders after seeing his son’s own bike experience.

The parks committee chairman said the day the bike share program was unveiled, his oldest son went riding on a dirt path adjacent to the Community Center, “and that’s where everything kind of clicked ... this is what we need,” he said.

“We need a space that kids can ride their bikes. The whole Fairfield Hills obviously has trails, but you sometimes have horses, you got people, you got dogs, and you might not always want a child or a toddler on a bike going 100 miles per hour down the hill, but we are now able to put them in a contained area.”

From there, a nearly four-year project was launched, led by a subcommittee of DePaolo, Parks & Rec Director Amy Mangold and Assistant Director of Parks Carl Samuelson, along with Brad Accettella and Paula Burton from the Housatonic Valley Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association. The group and other staff and volunteers worked turning the idea into a reality.

Challenges To Overcome

It did not come without challenges, as factors such as COVID and fundraising kept pushing the opening date out farther and farther. For Burton, who is also the founder of the Housatonic Valley Chapter of NEMBA, the process was lengthy, but worth it when all was said and done.

“We were familiar with this concept of bicycle playgrounds, although it’s very new and it’s not in a lot of places. So, we approached [Mangold] about it, and she wanted something professionally built, low maintenance,” she said.

“We had to talk to a lot of people, because most people hadn’t heard of a bicycle playground ... and it was a process. We had to go through so many committees, most of whom were pretty receptive, and we had several different places to put it, but we really felt [Fairfield Hills] was the best place in the end for the playground,” Burton added.

The final cost was $88,435, which included equipment, trail work, installation, shipping, and handling.

But after receiving $75,000 through APRA funds, the subcommittee knew they needed further assistance in order to continue turning the dream into a reality. Other organizations stepped up and helped with contributions including the NEMBA and the Newtown-based Jeniam Foundation, each donating $16,600, with the Parks and Recreation Dept contributing an additional $1,135.

Additionally, the Fairfield Hills Authority, Glen Boyle and Charles Zukowski of the Newtown Bike & Trail Committee, and Land Use Director Rob Sibley also played key roles in bringing the playground to fruition. Officials said through hard work, dedication, and a common vision among the groups and organizations, the project took shape.

The playground itself consists of beginner, intermediate, and advanced routes featuring different obstacles and ramps.

A number of children who got a chance to try out the course on its opening day expressed enjoyment and appeared to have a lot of fun.

“I really like riding my bike and there’s not that many places to ride it, so I’m really glad that they made this here,” said 11-year-old Teagan McMurdl.

“I like the ramps,” said Zoe Quadri, with her younger brother, Jaxson, also agreeing on it too.

A ‘Slam Dunk’

Parents described the bicycle playground as a “slam dunk,” and as a place where children can still experience the thrills of bike riding, while doing so safely.

“It’s just nice to have somewhere local that the kids can ride and get to experience something more than just riding around the streets and trails,” said Dan Kohler, whose son was one of the dozens who got to ride during the grand opening. “It’s great having visibility to everything and not having to worry about trails or anything like that.”

Not only does the playground serve as a place for children to create memories, but also has the potential to serve as a place for them to learn skills and lessons they can take with them, according to Accettella.

“It’s the mental health,” he said. “Getting outside and doing something and making simple decisions like ‘do I go up this ramp or do I go around it this time,’ those simple decisions and that freedom to do that sort of stuff, that’s what childhood is all about. It’s not just fed information through a screen, they are actually making real-life decisions in real time, and I think that’s super important for kids growing up.”

Mangold believes the park will inspire happy memories for present and future generations of Newtown youth.

“I hope we are changing people’s lives and making them feel like the children matter and that they can grow with us and can have good health and physical benefits,” she said. “I’ve seen kids who learned to skate [at the Newtown Skatepark when] they were very little, and now they are mentoring and helping other children, and it gives them a sense of pride and a sense of importance.”

“I’m sure I am going to see the same thing here, and it makes me feel so good,” she continued.

The park is available for use during the day, with guests asked to bring their own helmets and bikes, although there are bikes available to borrow at the Community Center.

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Intern/reporter Owen Brown can be reached at owen@thebee.com.