Salem's Mary Jane Lee

Okay, I have finally finished all the edits for the known missing playgrounds for Salem. Just Mary Jane Lee Playground located on the corners of Prince St. and Palmer St. in the Point Neighborhood.

Download the PDF of the writeup at my website:

www.visualvoices.net/publications/update.html

The playground photos are in color in all of my addendums now, so you get a great visual.

Maps

Well, here's something I am not proud of doing but I think I have to, especially because my editor told me to - that's my wife.

So on the addendums I have been working on, I have been updating the maps to reflect the addition of the missing playground. You know, putting it on the map and adding the streets, etc. Of course, as in the original maps I had done for the book, the map page also lists every playground, its location, and its rating. PLUS, it is all in color now.

Now, anybody can download the map even if they didn't buy the book. I don't have some insane registration process to get the download. I just don't know how to code that into the web site and what a logistical pain that would be. 

So with the new colored map, you pretty much have an entire city with all its playgrounds and their ratings in your hands without spending one penny. And that is actually just fine with me. 

BUT - and here's the rub - I am planning to sell those playground brochures (a map and photo of each playground in their city) to their respective park and recreation departments. Well, why would the city want to pay for something that is already free on my site? Darn it.

So I am left with a marketing choice, which always puts the audience at a disadvantage, and had to leave the maps off the downloadable updates. Hopefully, IF the cities buy their brochure then you can download the brochure with the color maps at that point. But in the meantime, you'll have to put your own little stars marking the playground on the maps in the book. Sorry.

Gloucester Addendum

I finally finished the first addendum to the Playground book. Go to the web site:
www.visualvoices.net/publications/update.html

and download the PDF of the updated pages. It includes the write ups for each of the five playgrounds. And best of all, they are all in color!

The playgrouds are:
Babson Playground
Brown's Field
Edward "Gint" Middleton Playground
Ganine Nancy Doucette Playground
Joseph Palazola Playground

Brochures

During the winter, the other thing I have been doing is creating single page pamphlets that could be made into downloadable PDF's with all the playgrounds in one town. It includes the town map with all the playgrounds such as that in the book, and a color photo of each playground on the reverse. No ratings and descriptions though.

Why would I do this? Won't it cut into "profits?" I don't even know what a "profit" is. Anyhoo, there are a couple of reasons why I'm doing this. One is I can't keep updating the book every two years because I just can't afford to print the book all the time. So I need a way to keep everybody updated with the playgrounds without spending a bijillion dollars. Well, a downloadable PDF would allow me not to print anything thereby saving some money (alright, a lot of money. . . alright, all the money). And second: see below.

What will I do with this brochure? The plan would be to sell the PDF to their respective cities so that they can post and advertise the PDF on their city websites for their citizens. Wouldn't that be handy for everyone? Okay, so there isn't a rating system on the brochure but if I did, it would be the rating of ONE individual and may not benefit the city. Maybe the cities wouldn't want their one star playground pointed out.

I'm still working on Salem's brochure. And I haven't approached them yet with the idea, although I had gone to a public space meeting several months ago and was asked about doing such a pamphlet for them. Of course, nothing has come of it. We'll see.

Updates coming!

Winter is here and we don't go to as many playgrounds as we use to. BUT I should be working on getting those updated playgrounds into a print format for those people who have purchased Playgrounds of the North Shore.

Well, I have finally started working on them and my editor (wife) is currently going over them and I should have them posted this weekend I hope.

First up will be those five playgrounds I missed in Gloucester:

Babson Playground

Brown's Field

Edward "Gint" Middleton Playground

Ganine Nancy Doucette Playground

Joseph Palazola Playground

Next up will be Action Cove in Newbury and the ONE playground I missed in my own hometown of Salem, Mary Jane Lee Playground.

Science Museum of Minnesota

Way back in the summer we went to Minneapolis. We stopped off at the Science Museum and explored this great new museum along the Mississippi River.

In their temporary-under-construction exhibit area was a Geometry exhibit. In there, was this:



This is one of the new structures put out by Landscape Structures (also based in Minneapolis). Pretty cool as it is, but put it into a building where you don't expect it and WAY COOL!!

Hmm. . . putting something in a playground that you wouldn't expect to be there and it makes it that much better. That's an idea.

Another Missing one

AND THIS ONE IN MY HOMEBASE of Salem!!


Mary Jane Playground
This playground is located in the Point Neighborhood on the corner of Prince St. and Palmer St. It's a medium to large. modular playground that has some fun stuff. The only problem is it has a lot of trash strewn about, and some of it glass. There's also vandalism and graffiti on some of the equipment.

There are a lot of nice picnic tables, most of them in the shade, a blacktop, and basketball court. Best of all, a drinking fountain.

The community has been doing a great job with keeping this park in the best condition they can, but it still can use some more help.

Rating: TWO STARS (out of five)

Playground Injury

Last May, a child at Center School Elementary, Peabody, fell from a playground slide and severely broke his arm. This has spurred an increase in playground training in the Peabody school system.

A good thing, and one that is suppose to be in place at all schools anyways.

Salem Common

Okay. So it has been awhile since I have posted anything. But here is sometehing.

I've mentioned this committee before. It is one that formed to help create a new playground at the Salem Common. Here's the present tot lot:


Simple and clean, old wooden structure with what looks like- appropriately although maybe not be appropriate - a gallow, a slide and some swings. There used to be some wooden benches around that MASSIVE, shady maple tree but they were falling apart and had to take them away. They just recently put in the wood chips. It used to be small stones . . . not the best for mouthy tots.

Anywhoo, the committee is having a raffle on October 30th, with all proceeds to benefit the new playground that they hope to have installed sometime in Spring 2008.

Details:
Ticket cost $20, Drawing will take place at 6 p.m. on October 30 at
the Common. You do not need to be present to win.

First prize: 32" LCD high-def. wall-mountable television
Second prize: 2 nights at the Salem Inn
Third Prize: one year membership to BJ's

Contact Katya for tickets: katyusha@comcast.net

What are the plans for the new playground? I don't know yet but will try and find out.

Pratt School in Minneapolis

Here's another one. This is at Pratt School, also in Southeast Minneapolis. The manufacturer is my favorite, Kompan. They have such unique structures. We've been to this one before and it used to have this giant web strung between the two structures. Unfortunately, it is now gone. Oh oh.

The other notable thing about this playground is the ground cover. They have layed down a layer of that fancy chopped-up-rubber-tire stuff. Very cool.


Rating: Three stars