Cadwalader Park is always improving
Egypt Hardy had the Cadwalader Park playground all to herself.
“This is great,” Hardy said. The young girl then bolted away as she climbed steps on the slide then whooshed down. Egypt in Playground Wonderland had the run of the swings, climbing domes and other apparatus.
Hardy played as her great-grandmother, Geraldine Paulhill, watched.
“It is so wonderful out here. This place is so pretty. It’s been under construction for a while, so, it’s nice to see the playground almost completed,” Paulhill said.
“Back in the 50s and 60s, this was the place to be. There were so many children playing on a variety of playground equipment. It’s good to see Cadwalader Park making a comeback.”
Cadwalader Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted whose creations include New York’s Central Park, remains a work in progress as the Cadwalader Park Alliance oversees upgrades.
Many former and current Trenton residents remember Cadwalader Park as a major weekend attraction before budget constraints forced removal of numerous attractions, including bears, deer, a peanut man and paddock filled with a variety of farm animals.
“The playground is about 90% of the way there. Still requires some additional landscaping, lawn establishment and over-all clean up. We also intend to do some substantial tree maintenance in that general area,” said Randy Baum, a Cadwalader Heights resident and chairman of the Cadwalader Park Alliance.
Saturday, April 21, a day before Earth Day, features more improvement as community members host a trash clean-up effort followed by a an appearance by Mayor Eric Jackson. Cadwalader Heights Civic Association and the Alliance support the event that lasts from 9 a.m. until 12 noon.
The State of New Jersey’s “Green Acres Program’ granted $2 million for park improvements in 2005. Following the park clean-up event, Mayor Jackson and members of the Cadwalader Park Alliance will update attendees on the completion of all the improvements to Cadwalader Park, including the recently installed new playground and improvements to pathways, landscaping, and other recreational areas of the park.
The Cadwalader Park event continues the initiative to keep improving and taking care of the park, as area groups including Cadwalader Park Alliance, the Cadwalader Heights Civic Association, the National Junior Tennis League of Trenton, the Sierra Club, the Trenton Council of Civic Association neighborhoods add their energy to improve park conditions.
“This park clean-up is all about Trenton residents showing their civic pride,” said Mayor Jackson. “It’s amazing to see kids out playing on the new Cadwalader Park playground, and out with their families picking up trash on the eve of Earth Day — taking care of our parks is vitally important for their future and the future of the city.”
Cadwalader Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who created Central Park in New York City. The Cadwalader Park Alliance has been instrumental in securing grants to make improvements to the park.
“With many key partners, we’ve been able to complete some park improvements,” said Baum. “It’s great to see the community come out and support this jewel of Trenton by rolling up their sleeves to keep it clean.”
Trash bags and gloves will be provided by the City of Trenton, and refreshments will be served by the Cadwalader Heights Civic Association.
Prizes will be awarded for the weirdest trash item, largest trash item, and funniest trash item collected.
As political candidates push toward a May 8 municipal election, let’s build a new coalition of likeminded people willing to pitch in to improve Trenton.
Make a physical and time contribution this Saturday by attending the Cadwalader Park cleanup.
L.A. Parker is a Trentonian columnist.