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The background information on, and process for, the Windsor Park improvement project
The City of New Albany is pleased to announce that demolition of the current Windsor neighborhood playground began in September 2024 with completion of the new playground scheduled for mid-November 2024. The proposed design is a direct response to the input received from the Windsor residents through a public workshop and online survey.
On October 4, a section of Butterworth Green Drive in Windsor will be closed from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for the delivery of playground equipment as part of the Windsor Playground Improvement Project. The closure will be between Thurston Hall and Parsons Pass. A large crane will be on site to unload multiple trucks, so please avoid the area if possible. “No Parking” signs will be posted along both Butterworth Green Drive and Thurston Hall to make room for the equipment.
Thank you for your patience as we work to make Windsor’s playground even better for the community!
It first became apparent in 2019 that upgrading the City of New Albany’s parks network was important to the community. City staff received many park-related comments from residents while conducting outreach for Engage New Albany, the City’s five-year strategic plan. That feedback highlighted the need for New Albany’s existing public parks to be examined and studied for potential improvements. Throughout 2020, staff worked with residents and community groups, such as the New Albany Joint Parks District, to create a Parks Framework Plan.
The Parks Framework Plan includes an assessment of the City’s current parks and equipment, analysis of the accessibility of the City’s parks and trail network, and recommendations for improvements for each neighborhood park. The recommended improvements include updated playground equipment, building accessible features so people of all abilities can use the playgrounds, and amenities such as seating and landscaping.
The City staff began the public outreach process with a survey geared towards users of the current playground. The survey results allow City staff to get a feel for what residents like or do not like about the existing playground. It also assists staff in gaining an understanding of what residents want to see in the new playground.
A postcard was mailed to all 270 homes within the Windsor subdivision on March 1, 2024, inviting the residents to complete the City’s Windsor Park Community Survey. The survey link was also shared via the New Albany Connects newsletter, on the City’s website, and on various social media platforms to invite all members of the public to complete the survey. The survey included 12 questions and took less than five minutes to complete. Two weeks’ time was given between notification and the end of the survey. The survey closed on March 15, 2024. The City received a total of 209 responses, with approximately 65% of the respondents being Windsor residents.
Most of the respondents indicated that their children are between the ages of 2–12 years old. Of the 209 responses, 153 of them indicated they prefer a more subtle approach to color as opposed to brightly colored playgrounds. The top two freestanding play features that were chosen by the respondents, as being important to include in a playground, were the climbing wall and climbing rocks. The top two play activities that were chosen by the respondents were an open slide and bridge. The top two swing features that respondents felt are most important to include on a new playground were a belt swing (traditional swing) and a baby/tot swing. When asked what they liked best about the existing Windsor Park playground, the most reoccurring answer from the responses was “swings.”
In addition to completing the survey, the mailed postcards also invited residents to attend the Windsor Park public workshop on Tuesday, April 9, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at New Albany Village Hall. The open house was also advertised in the survey, in the New Albany Connects newsletter, on the City’s website, and on various social media platforms. The City staff facilitated a station-based public workshop, open house style, that provided the attendees with an opportunity to view survey results and provide additional feedback.
The attendees were greeted in the lobby with a welcome board including pictures of the existing conditions. The attendees then moved to the first station, which provided them with the opportunity to comment on the survey results. The City staff provided a verbal overview of the survey and asked attendees if they agreed with the top two choices from survey questions 6, 7, and 8. Attendees were then able to vote with stickers on one of the top two items from each question. The top freestanding play feature that was chosen by the attendees, as being most important to include in a playground, was climbing rocks. The top play activity that was chosen by the attendees was a bridge. The top swing feature that attendees felt is most important to include on a new playground is a belt swing (traditional swing).
The second station allowed attendees to view pictures from three playground equipment companies and vote on their top pick. Two of the equipment lines are made up of play structures that are bright and colorful and one of the equipment lines is a more subtle approach to color. After counting the votes, staff found that 84% of the attendees chose the playground equipment with the more subtle approach.
The third and final station allowed participants to place desired equipment on a scaled map of the park. Each piece of equipment included the associated fall zone so that participants were able to gain an understanding and be encouraged to make decisions given space limitations. The City staff took pictures to document what the participants came up with. After reviewing all the ideas, the top 5 equipment pieces that were chosen most often in order by popularity were swings, slide, hide, climb, and balance.
Village Hall
99 W. Main Street
PO Box 188
New Albany, OH 43054
Phone: (614) 855-3913
Public Service
7800 Bevelhymer Road
PO Box 188
New Albany, OH 43054
Phone: (614) 855-0076
Police Department
50 Village Hall Road
PO Box 271
New Albany, OH 43054
Phone: (614) 855-1234
Community Development
7815 Walton Parkway
New Albany, OH 43054
Phone: (614) 939-2254
Please send mail to Village Hall address
Village Hall
99 W. Main St.
PO Box 188
New Albany, OH 43054
Phone: (614) 855-3913
Public Service
7800 Bevelhymer Road
PO Box 188
New Albany, OH 43054
Phone: (614) 855-0076
Police Department
50 Village Hall Rd.
PO Box 271
New Albany, OH 43054
Phone: (614) 855-1234
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