New Broadneck Park Playground to Open in September

The pieces that will form a new playground at Broadneck Park are heading to town.

Once the parts for the new playground arrive, the old one will be dismantled, possibly as early as the end of the month, said Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks Director Mark Garrity. 

The parts of the old playground will be distributed around the county as replacements for other county park playgrounds, Garrity said.

During the dismantling and construction phase, parents seeking a play area for their children will have to look elsewhere for about three weeks. Garrity said he expects the new playground to be available for use by the middle of September.

For Broadneck mom Kara McGuirk-Allison, the new playground's construction is the end of a long campaign to get the old facility rebuilt. She created the Friends of Broadneck Park group to rally support and funds for a new playground. About a year after its formation, and several fundraisers later, the county had allocated funds for the project, and the group had amassed more than $10,000 itself.

"September marks two years since my first phone call to Recreation and Parks describing the then decrepit state of our community playground. Since that time, not only has Rec. and Parks stepped forward with an enthusiastic response, but our civic leaders, BAYS, community businesses, families and children united and rallied to fund our new play equipment. I am humbled and full of gratitude to everyone involved," McGuirk-Allison said in a written statement.

Once the new playground is complete, the Friends of Broadneck Park and the county will host a grand opening. McGuirk-Allison said it will be a way of celebrating their efforts and showing thanks to supporters along the way.