The Flower Hill Park officially opened its newest playground structure on Monday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Mayor Elaine Phillips and board of trustee members.
The Explorer Dome is designed for children ages 5 to 12 to climb, swing, slide and balance on.
‘‘It’s something really unique, and it’s also for the older kids and even adults,” village Clerk Ronnie Shatzkamer said about the dome, located between Stonytown and Bonnie roads in Manhasset.
The dome, Shatzkamer said, was built for the older children in the area, and the village got the idea after attending a meeting of U.S. Communities, a nonprofit purchasing cooperative.
With the addition of the dome, the park now has a play area for children of all ages with a regulation basketball court and a jungle gym.
According to a news release, “The dome was installed using a ground surface called Fibar, which consists of engineered wood fibers that knit together to form a safe playground surface that is soft enough to cushion falls yet firm enough for wheelchairs.”
In June, Shatzkamer said that Phillips and the board approved the idea, and the village decided to hire Komplan, a global playground supplier, to complete the job.
Children were playing on the structure immediately after the installation and during the official opening.
