Frank Speziale

NORWICH – After two years of planning and with the community rallying in support of the project, Holy Family School (HFS) unveiled its new state-of-the-art playground on Monday to the public.

"The generosity of this community, the R.C. Smith Foundation in particular, was heartwarming," said HFS Principal Lee Brenner, adding that hundreds of families, individuals, and businesses donated funds to make the playground – which is now open to anyone – a reality.

Brenner, along with HFS advisory board member Bob Collins, co-chaired the project and came up with the plans with Parkitects, Inc. – a company that designs park and playground environments – for a safe, exciting playground that could be enjoyed by all the children in the greater Norwich community.

Construction for the playground officially began on Friday as Matt Burrell and employees of Burrell's Excavating provided the manpower to remove the old wooden playground and all the stone, which, according to a Syracuse Diocese Risk Management Report in November 2017, could have "present[ed] a safety hazard." Also pitching-in was Jeff Parker and employees of Parker Homes, Brenner said.

"[Matt Burrell and Jeff Parker] said to me, 'Whatever you need, Lee, you got it.' And they meant it," said Brenner.