Fullerton Playground Finishing Touches Linger

Ten weeks ago, more than 1,500 people onverged on to rebuild the playground there, and over five days the plot transformed from an empty space into a kid’s paradise.

But, the project still sits unfinished, and some townspeople have questioned why.

Keith Olmor, chair of the Friends of Fullerton rebuild group, wants them to know he’s just as exasperated with the delays on the $200,000 playground.

A series of holdups has pushed back the finishing touches, including the much-anticipated picnic tables, plus benches, repairs to the tower roofs, fencing and brickwork engraved with donors’ names.

Olmor and a small group of volunteers and professionals plan to put in several hours on July 16 at the playground, trying to finish up these projects.

“We’re trying to wrap everything up as quickly as possible,” Olmor said this week. “It’s been a challenge to wrap up.”

Money issues, he added, are not holding up the progress on the playground, estimated to cost $200,000-$250,000. Friends of Fullerton raised between $80,000 and $90,000 of that cost, with the township footing the rest.

Some of the delays stem from waiting for professionals to complete the projects, like the picnic tables, Olmor explained. Scheduling conflicts to complete the work also caused problems.

“I wish it would’ve been done by now,” Olmor said. “The park is open though—even though there’s a closed sign that the township needs to take down—and people are taking full advantage of it.”

The lion’s share of the playground rose in late April and early May. The huge community effort doesn’t need to be duplicated to put on the finishing touches, Olmor said. It’s a matter of getting the key people to the site at the same time.

Olmor could not provide a definitive timeframe for completion, saying the goal remains to work as quickly as possible until it’s finished.

One project still needs to work through the conception phase. Friends of Fullerton is mulling over the donor plaque and how best to display the sponsors and volunteers who built the playground. The group is considering different designs—possibly a mosaic—and thinking about the best materials to ensure a hardy, long-lasting commemoration. 

As the playground nears completion, Friends of Fullerton also must decide its future role. It could turn into a maintenance group, helping ensure the playground never falls into such disrepair that it must be torn down—which happened to the first Fullerton playground and necessitated this rebuild.

Or, Friends of Fullerton could disband and fully turn over maintenance to the township. Moorestown’s Rotary also has adopted the park with cleanups planned twice annually, and could help in playground maintenance.

No decision will come, Olmor said, until the playground is completely finished and all bills paid.

Meanwhile, the rest of Fullerton Park outside of the playground will get a boost. In late May, Moorestown learned it received from the Burlington County Freeholders Municipal Park Development Assistance Program.

The grant will cover upgrades and improvements to the baseball field and tennis and basketball courts, as well as accessible bleachers, benches and a baseball backstop.