Playground equipment dedicated in Village of Florida

FLORIDA-It started in 2003. It ended last Saturday. “It” was a $37,000 addition to the playground at the Walter R. Sturr Park in the Village of Florida. At the formal dedication under the pavilion last Saturday Florida Mayor James Pawliczek and Florida Lions Club president Vincent Poloniak briefly traced that effort to a small gathering of appreciative onlookers. John Dever of the Florida Lions was one of the early dreamers. With help from George McManus of the Warwick Lions, a $5,000 grant from the state Lions was obtained which local Lions matched. Meanwhile, Florida Lions secretary Sue Heller was sending out letters seeking contributions from local businesses and organizations. Those letters brought a great response. The Town of Warwick also came through with $4,000. The Florida Village Maintenance Deptartment poured all the footings. And Tom Chevrier, a village trustee in charge of youth recreation, led a host of volunteers to help with the actual installation. And if a child stumbles he or she will bounce back up from the mulch that carpets the entire playing surface. Through the efforts of Lee Maas, a local resident employed by Land Rover of North America and its affiliate in Paramus, the Ford-Jaguar Motor Co., donated the “tire-mulch,” retail value over $10,000. More fencing is planned and a further very-substantial offer for more playground equipment will be forthcoming, courtesy of Robin Rosenberg Cohen. The only setback was the rain on dedication Saturday that discouraged the youngsters in the crowd from making full use of their new playthings.