Basics:
Date of visit: April 20th, 2024
Where can I find it? Behind the high school.
Bathrooms? None
Parking? Plenty.
When open? When there's no school.
Review:
A house
divided cannot stand, but a playground divided offers the potential for both
discoveries and learning how to lose your friends in small places. The
playground at BECC offers a diverse array of areas to explore and, crucially,
plenty of swings to try out.
 |
| Behold! The swings are legion! |
Architecturally, the space
makes skillful use of colors and encourages playful interactions between people
and structures. Though, connotations of entering and exiting fish through both
its mouth and its posterior leaves one scratching their head, trying to
understand what higher life lesson might be gleaned from it.
 |
| What does it all mean? |
The commitment
to some level of anatomical accuracy regarding the spine along its back prompts
consideration of what desires the designers hoped to pass on, but sadly we will
never know.
The
slides, while passable, lack a certain sense of danger one hopes to evoke from
such excursions, and be quickly forgotten. The same can be said of the drum
features.
The merry go round, while enjoyable, lacks a certain degree of ergonomic
finesse, and my father quickly tired of spinning me around in it. I am not sure
if that says more about his inadequacies than the equipment but will leave that
decision to the reader.
 |
| The fish, forever consuming and excreting playgrounders. |
Opposite this area, across
from the entrance, is a smaller play area, likely intended to cordon off tinier
participants, which yields other fascinations. Most notable is the low pitch
rock wall, with holes to consume those less careful, and a play structure with
a distinct lack of altitude.
 |
| Even my tiny legs can scale this with ease |
The only other item to check
out in this area is the public chalk board. Clearly it has seen its fair share
of scribbles, and you will want to bring your own chalk, as none is left out
for passersby, such as myself. That being said, the rain protection to allow
for longer preservation is nice. I am somewhat skeptical of the lengthy
calculation of pi and wonder if perhaps that was placed there by someone who is
not a student.  |
| My father says it's right, and I'll believe him, as I cannot be bothered to look it up |
In
general, the choice to use astroturf instead of actual dirt will be a pro or a
con depending on how old you are and who gets to clean you up.
The
swings tended to squeak, though not as much as I would like.
Overall, I give this playground a score of 4 fish.
I have
not decided out of how many yet.
Madelyn Hope Lewis is the senior playground tester of Lewis Developments, and a connoisseur of playtime activities. When she's not exploring Massachusetts fun time architecture, she can be found scouting out where is exactly "the line" with her parents.
