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by Orubba Almansouri
It’s a hot sunny day in a tiny little playground on Cabrini Boulevard at W. 180th Street. Four kids, Max Brito, Julio Espaillat, Olgastacy Ramirez and Christopher Tebucio sit at a picnic table under a tree, playing Uno.
The playground has a small collection of other toys, smooth sand in a wooden box and a small sized playground slide and monkey bars. The hidden play space is officially called The George Washington Bridge Park but the sprinkler in the shape of a Dolphin in the corner has led kids who play there and their parents to call it simply Dolphin playground.
“It’s a place where kids can play without their parents telling them ‘NO!’” explains Brito, 10.
The playground is operated and maintained by the West 181st Street Beautification Project, a group that, in the 1990s, sought to turn the trash-strewn lot, which is owned by the Port Authority, into a playground.
According to a brief history of the playground provided by the group’s founder, Jeanlee Poggi, the playground was opened in 1994, after years of meetings and planning that involved Community Board 12, public officials, Port Authority executives and local residents.
Dolphin playground was Paola Nunez’ childhood spot. At the age of 10 she started volunteering at the park, and now a young woman, she is its caretaker.
For three hours in the afternoon from May through September she unlocks the gate, and looks after the children playing inside. To Paola the playground is a little spot for young kids, parents don’t have to worry about older kids running around and bumping into the little toddlers. “The parents love it, they just come and talk while their kids play, and I am also here watching the kids, it feels good to hear a thank you for the work you did,” Paola says.
One of the Uno players, Julio Espaillat, is at the park for more than just a card game, he’s a volunteer.
For every hour a kid volunteers they get a star and once they are over 10 years old they get a stipend for the hours they volunteer. Espaillat is 11 and has his 10 stars. He volunteers at the playground three days a week – Friday, Saturday, and Sunday – and now gets a stipend for his help.
He enjoys being at the garden to play and help out.
“I like playing Uno and I like watering the plants,” Julio says.
A few paces away, Ezra, a 15 months old, makes his way with excitement around the playground and to the sand box as his mother, Tamar Rydzianski, smiles and sits back and watches him play. “Everything here is his kids size, you don’t have the same amount of kids here and the sprinkler is more his speed,” Tamar says.
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