The City of New Smyrna Beach will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate completion of its newest playground at 27^th Avenue Beachfront Park (3701 S Atlantic Avenue) on Friday, June 28 at 10:00 AM.  Paid for in part with a $220,000 Volusia County ECHO grant, the playground features all-inclusive, ADA-accessible amenities and large shade sails to keep park-goers cool.

Ribbon-cutting for NSB’s new 27^th Avenue Beachfront Park playground on June 28

Following the ceremony, children from the “Babe” James Summer Fun program will have first crack at the new playground alongside NSB Fire Department mascot “Sparky” and Waste Pro mascot “Waste Pro Man.”  Utilities Commission staff will also be on hand to operate a hydration station and provide information on power and water conservation alongside NSB Turtle Trackers, who will be available to talk about sea turtle nesting season.  Finally, a Kona Ice truck will be on-site serving up tropical-flavored shaved ice to those in attendance.

“During the Parks and Recreation session of last year’s Coastal Community Resiliency series, residents were very enthusiastic about adding shade sails to our local parks.  Between Riverside Park, 27^th Avenue Beachfront Park, and Buena Vista Park I’m happy to report that we are ‘full-steam ahead’ on doing exactly that,” said the City’s Leisure Services Director Nancy Maddox.

Improvements to the Beachfront Playground and Park in NSB

Built in 1998 by Volusia County, ownership of the 3.4-acre park transferred to the City in July 2013.  Since then, renovation and repainting has taken place in addition to installation of new picnic shelters, shower towers, water fountains, and park signage.  The playground will add an ADA-compliant internal ramping system, rocking “Cruiser,” musical instruments, climbing and balancing platforms, vortex spinner, “Konnection” swing set, soft turf grass, and large green and blue shade sails.

Emphasis on ADA-accessibility has been a cornerstone of the project, which led the City to work with S.P.A.R.C. of Volusia and the Miracle League of Volusia to highlight the new playground’s all-inclusive amenities.

“The Miracle League of Volusia is very excited about the new ADA park directly on the ocean.  With more than 18,000 disabled children in Volusia County, this offers another opportunity for these children to get out and enjoy what everyone else has been able to enjoy.  We want to thank the City of New Smyrna Beach and Volusia County for investing in the future of our disabled citizens and their families.  We are witness to the collaboration between the private sector and the municipalities that there is a need and a desire to fulfill the recreational dreams of all the residents and visitors of Volusia County,” said Miracle League representative Shawn Goepfert.

Members of the public are invited to attend.  Please contact Public Information Officer Phillip Veski at pveski@cityofnsb.com or (386) 410-2614 for more information.