Maddie Dodge Field, Islesboro’s recreation park on Hewes Point, is the place to play pirates these days, or to play medieval knights, or to be a mountaineer, a fireman, or even pretend to be a lobsterman.
An extensive new play set was erected this summer-a gift to the town from a family that has enjoyed many hours at the field.
Designed and built by CedarWorks of Rockport, the new structure replaces a smaller and older one that was sold at a silent auction to benefit an island scholarship fund.
The high bidder dismantled and trucked the old set away, saving the town the cost of doing the same. Though still useful, the former play set had seen better days and was bedded in damp, soft ground at the edge of the parking lot. The new set glows with enchantment and potential. It’s a cedar extravaganza.
To remedy the problem of damp, soft ground on the building site, Babe Hatch, island excavator, stripped the top soil, graded a gentle slope to improve drainage and applied a generous layer of pea stone to keep the play area clean and dry. The pea stone also provides a shock-absorbent surface, which greatly reduces the risk of injuries from falls.
The combination of Babe’s meticulous work and the high quality of the CedarWork’s product has created a gem of a playground that parents and children will appreciate for years to come. Six new parking spaces were created during the excavation, as well, and a new fence surrounding the play area will help prevent children from wandering.
The weather was sunny, breezy and warm on the late-August weekend that the play set was assembled. The various sections of the project were boxed at the CedarWorks plant in Rockland and delivered earlier in the week by the construction crew: George and Sarah Martin and Eric Peddle. This writer, a volunteer, also helped during the installation.
A mountain of cardboard grew in the parking lot as dry, clean-smelling Canadian cedar parts and pre-assembled units were gently unpacked and laid-out systematically on the pea stone. The edges of cedar boards and posts were rounded to prevent splinters and each piece was sanded smooth on all four sides. Passers-by and Hewes Point residents marveled at the speedy pace at which the structure was growing and they were excited that something bold, pretty and new was happening at Maddie Dodge Field.
The structure is built of individual units that could be bought independently but, for the purposes of this ambitious project, were imaginatively joined to each other by the use of elevated walkways and ramps.
It is those features that endow the whole with the look of a ship or castle. Indeed, two of the five units resemble both a castle and an eighteen-foot ship that resembles a lobster boat. There are two crow’s nests and a climbing wall. Two of the other units feature spiral stairs which climb up to a catwalk and a sky tunnel.
A child (or an enthusiastic adult) can venture through the entire structure without descending to the ground. Cedar-shingled roofs cap three of the units, providing shade and shelter. There are swings, rope ladders, slides, a funnel tunnel, platforms, yardarms, three bronze-colored firemen’s poles and four bright red pennants that snap in the southwest breeze above the castle ramparts.
The playground project manager was the Town of Islesboro Recreation Director Kara Masters Siekman who has around 20 years experience developing recreation programs for both year-round and summer residents. She wisely recommended a play set that can be used by all ages for three seasons of the year. She was assisted by islander Allie Craig, 13, who acted as a youth consultant which is why there is a funnel tunnel on the new play set as well as the firemen’s poles and other youth-friendly features-appealing options that were displayed in the CedarWorks catalog.
High sea outlaws will appreciate the two bright-red cast iron steering wheels, one of which is stationed in the boat. Both wheels have telescopes beside them so pirates can sweep the horizon in their never-ending, predatory search for heavily-laden, unarmed merchant ships which, when found, are attacked, looted and sunk. Pity the victims of the pirate’s cutlass! Kara visited the building site each day to discuss details with George and to confirm that our imaginations weren’t interfering with the task at hand
By the end of the second day the play set was complete. The mountain of cardboard was flattened by helpful bystanders and trucked to the transfer station.
A wise and generous donation, a stimulating play set design, a respect for safety and an efficient, cooperative effort have created a playground that will encourage outdoor activity for all ages. Town recreational areas like Maddie Dodge Field help shape long-lasting memories of families at play, of good, clean fun and games at the public park, the place where people gather to nurture body and spirit and to celebrate their community.
Randy Purinton is a pirate who lives in Amherst, Massachusetts