X'Nique suggests to City Engineer Giovanni Zinn that city prioritize shade and sensory play.
A tire swing. A skate park. “A lot of butterflies.” And toys promoting “sensory play.”
Neighborhood children eagerly offered those visions for a planned redesign of Kensington Playground, following years of adult-dominated debates over the future of the park.
About 20 kids in all (joined by just over 20 adults) from the Dwight and West River neighborhoods had a chance to talk to the city officials planning to remake the neighborhood playground on Monday night.
They filled the Amistad Academy Elementary community room for a collective brainstorming session, during which City Engineer Giovanni Zinn and Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers committed to finding the funding for some community-suggested improvements to the park.
The city hasn’t always planned on investing in this greenspace. The Elicker Administration and the Board of Alders decided in 2020 to sell the park to affordable housing developer The Community Builders, which owns the adjacent “Kensington Square” apartments and had planned to build affordable housing in the park’s stead. But a group of neighbors banded together to form the Friends of Kensington Park in opposition to this development. While the park has sometimes been a site of drug sales and usage, the Park Friends filled the playground with family-friendly events. They successfully stopped the development via a lawsuit in 2023.
Monday’s meeting, notable for the number of kids who turned out, marked a new era of cooperation between city officials and park advocates. Community members of all ages voted via sticky note for their favorite park structures, from swing sets to splash pads to grilling equipment. Families enjoyed arts and crafts tables and an abundance of pizza and falafel options. And kids delighted in taking the microphone to present their various visions for the park.
Nine-year-old X’Nique suggested to the group that the playground designers incorporate “sensory play” — using textures and designs to engage kids’ five senses — because “it can be helpful when you’re stressed.”
X’Nique, who lives in West River, also supported the idea of a covered pavilion in the park. “If it’s summer, and it’s really hot, you could sit in the park for shade,” she said.
One child, Sonia, helped her younger siblings express their preferences into the microphone. (The swing sets proved to be popular.)
She also offered her own ideas: “I want them to build a slide, a splash pad, and a lot of butterflies.” And “I want a big picnic every day with a lot of burgers, shawarma, and … a salad, for healthiness!”
Myles, 14, with mom Bernice.
Over at the tables, 14-year-old Myles and 13-year-old Malayshia said they frequently go to the park, while their 10-year-old brother David added an adamant “Not me!”
Their mom explained that David recently had a stressful encounter in the park: He and his friends found someone’s abandoned clothes lying around and started to play with them. Then the clothes’ owner, who appeared to be using drugs, came back and threatened to fight the kids. Thinking back to this memory, David was initially grumpy about the prospect of spending an hour talking about his least favorite playground.
He listened as his brother Myles rattled off a litany of ideas for the park — a tire swing, a sandbox, “more stuff to the splash pad” (such as buckets). He grew more open to the prospect of revamping a park so close to his home.
Inspired by an idea on one of the posters, David decided to advocate for exercise equipment in the parks. “I play football, so I gotta get strong!” he quipped.
Thomas Breen Photo
Kensington Park.
Friends of Kensington Park advocate Olivia Martsen.
Let's take a moment to celebrate when something goes right.
The current revival of attention to our children's parks and playgrounds is the result of a fortunate confuence of neighborhood activists (Friends of Kensington Park) and ARPA funding and political will (City of NH leaders).
Parks and playgrounds are important to maintain our connection to nature in an urban area and as physical and social outlets for residents. They are not luxuries, but necessities.
Actually consulting the children who will use these spaces is both brilliant and touching. Bravo.