Allan Appel Photo
Westville Manor may be one of the city’s most isolated public housing projects. But when a grant to build a much-needed playground to help fight childhood obesity was announced, even the Obama Administration in Washington, D.C., took notice.
Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)‘s Sandra Henriquez was on hand, along with Westville Manor 11 year-old Shykwon Crandell to celebrate the grant on Thursday afternoon. (They’re pictured above.)
Under a bright sky, more than 100 kids and parents gathered to contribute their ideas toward the design of a playground to be built by volunteers from Home Depot and Westville Manor residents and funded by an organization called KaBoom!
Why do they need it? There is a “60 to 70 percent higher chance of being obese if they [kids] live in a place without walkable sidewalks and [playground] amenities,” said the assistant housing secretary.
She also said that a playground close enough for parents to have “eyes on the kids” as well as “eyes on the playspace” helps foster not only good health, but new interactions, and a sense of community.
Henriquez was dispatched to highlight the Westville Manor project as part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s national “Let’s Move campaign to reduce childhood obesity.
The obesity reduction goal is not only for kids.
In addition to a b‑ball court and monkey bars for himself, Shykwon suggested a walking track for his grandma. Henriquez said the Westville Manor project represented what HUD saw as a “place-based” strategy for health and progress. It also included urban agriculture, access to fresh food, good stores, and farmers’ markets.
The total project is budgeted at $70,000, with materials contributed by Home Depot. There is a $7,500 local match, which is being subsidized by the Housing Authority of New Haven.
The project was written and shepherded through the process by Joanne Sciulli, executive director of Solar Youth, which has been running programs at Westville Manor for years.
In her remarks, she said, “The children [here] are beautiful and smart and they deserve the best.”
After the planning process and the prep work, the entire playground will be erected on a single day, scheduled for July 8.
Congratulations Solar Youth and Westville Manor and thanks Kaboom!, Home Depot and the Housing Authority of New Haven. Having grown up in a suburb where most, if not all, families had individual swing sets in their backyards, it is hard to imagine a whole neighborhood without safe play equipment. I am glad it was Solar Youth that initiated the effort, since Joanne and her colleagues will instill in the area children appreciation not just for the new equipment but for the importance of stewardship of the site as well. I look forward to the before and after photos!