UPDATE (Tuesday, March 19): This story has been updated following an announcement from Newtown Parks & Recreation.

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Newtown Parks & Recreation has announced the Bicycle Playground, within the Fairfield Hills campus, will be closed through Sunday, March 24.

Originally planned for just one weekend, Department Director Amy Mangold announced on March 19 that the closure was being extended. She expects to see the recently opened space open on Monday, March 25.

The closure is due to the ongoing water line work on the Fairfield Hills campus, Mangold first announced last Wednesday morning. Crews will be working near the Bicycle Playground, which necessitates its temporary closure.

The playground will reopen Monday, March 18, the email also notes.

The Bicycle Playground opened in June 2023, following years of planning and fundraising. Newtown Parks & Recreation Chairman Clinton DePaolo last year said the seed for the new offering sprouted after the town’s Bike & Trails Committee unveiled a bike share program in October 2019. DePaolo said he came up with an idea for a place for young bike riders after seeing his son’s own bike experience.

DePaolo told The Newtown Bee that the day the bike share program was unveiled, his oldest son went riding on a dirt path adjacent to Newtown Community Center, “and that’s where everything kind of clicked … this is what we need.”

From there, a nearly four-year project was launched, led by a subcommittee of DePaolo, 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 (NEMBA). The group and other staff and volunteers worked turning the idea into a reality.

COVID and fundraising slowed the project, but did not stop the effort to provide a contained space for children to ride bicycles safely.

Fairfield Hills Authority, Glen Boyle and Charles Zukowski of 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 final cost was $88,435, which included equipment, trail work, installation, shipping, and handling.

The committee received $75,000 through ARPA funds, contributions of $16,600 each from NEMBA and the Newtown-based Jeniam Foundation, and $1,135 from Parks & Recreation Department.

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

It is located off Simpson Street, with access to its dedicated parking lot via the Newtown Senior Center parking lot.

The Bicycle Playground is available for use during the day. Guests are asked to bring their own helmets and bikes, although there are bikes available to borrow at the community center.

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Managing Editor Shannon Hicks can be reached at shannon@thebee.com.