Rats Threaten Future Of Nutley Playground

It looks like a really fun park, I'm sorry I didn't know about it until now.

As far as the rats go...is there a way to lure a couple of stray cats? We could have a well fed ferel family.

And if it attracts drinking teens we could have a well fed patrol car.

The only problem I can't figure out is how to avoid splinters, but that doesn't even seem like a problem.

This is a fantastic playground. I started going there in 1993 or 1994 with my kids, who are now teenagers. But that rat problem was always there...the combination of yummy food to eat (from the garbage cans), water to drink (there is a nice bathroom), and the spacious and charming accommodations supplied by the area beneath the wooden structures is too tempting to the local rat population. Periodically it would close so that someone could deal with the rats, but that's also bad if it involves rodenticide on or near surfaces little kids are touching. I never had the sense that the neighbors were objecting to the playground per se, just to the public health issue it posed.

I don't know what the answer is, but it would be a shame to lose this playground--we've loved others like it in Connecticut and Massachusetts, but I never found another one like it around here.

Brilliant! There are rats in the park so logic of course dictates that the park must be torn down so the rats can take over completely. And if teens are drinking in the park then I'm sure the only possible solution is to close the place.

Sounds to me like some folks just want to see it gone and they're making up any excuse they can think of. Is the sound of kids playing so horrible a noise that its worth doing away with a playground? WTF is up with people?

Liz,

Any word from the town about the closing? Is it due to rats (which I would think to be a mostly fixable problem) or neighbor complaints?

One annoyed patrons letter doesn't have me entirely convinced that it's the latter.

Reading this creates such nostalgia for the days when my kids were the right ages for a playground--so I want to tell people who miss this playground about a place that's worth the trek (not very far, really): Van Saun Park in Paramus. Yes, Paramus, land of a thousand malls--but you'd never know it when you're there! This is a wonderful Bergen County park with a zoo, a farm area, a train ride, and a huge playground with areas for different-aged kids (so the tiny ones don't get run over by the big kids). Go up the Parkway, get on 4 East, and I think get off on Forest (you should Mapquest it--I haven't been there in years). It's a full-day experience that I highly recommend.

Mike -- this is from the second link at end of post:

Nutley Director of Parks and Recreation Mauro Tucci explained at the most recent Board of Commissioners meeting on June 2 that there had been a noticeable rodent infestation in the area of the Creative Playground and, for health and safety reasons, part of the park had been closed until further notice.

Thanks!

So it is rats and the parent in the letter is just projecting her frustrations onto her neighbors.

Nice.

Where exactly is this park in Nutley? Didn't even know it existed.

Hmm- If its Health and Safety then there must be a concern that it poses a risk to the children. Thats a good step right? I wonder if a child got bitten by a rat if this story would then be "Nutley ignores rat issue, child bit".

I do hope however they resolve the issue and retain the park. It does look lovely.

I used to take my now 19yr old their - he loved it and there were rats back then as well.

And to the person who asked its location - it is on Kingsland Street directly opposite the Roche entrance.

In fact, Roche Day Care used to take the kids there for picnics as part of their program.

yeah- i heard about this. unfortunately, it looks like there might actually be a safety factor- aka the rats have done damage to the structure of the playground. this could be a rumor, who knows. but i heard that the rat problem could have cause structural damage- which is certainly a reason to close it. i love wooden playgrounds- more natural creative playgrounds- that said- we have to look carefully into what happens to them. remember all those wooden playgrounds or decks that were sprayed with some toxic finishing? for anyone in the brookdale section of bloomfield who goes, or will be going, to the brookdale elementary school. this fall we will be working at bringing a much needed playground to the elementary school- amazingly enough- they have no playground. so look and listen and think about what playgrounds your kids like the most-and then get in contact with the brookdale principal and home and school association if your kid goes to school there- and get involved.

It looks great! Hope they can keep it, and I'm sorry I didn't know about it when my kids were of age.

Can we give little Johnny a pellet gun and do a little rat hunting adventure in the castle? :-) (sorry very un-PC).

There are tamper proof, warfarin rat thingies. A few dozen of them, in the area that the rats nest, should do the trick.

Shutting down is just giving in.

My son (now 7) calls it the Castle Playground and he loves it. He is very disappointed that its closed.

Its a great place and we hate to have it close or even loose it.

Mike,
Guilty, my bad. I was upset at the time I penned that letter. Thank you for pointing out my rat omission. I have now added two rat references to my letter that will be included in any other mailings. I actually did tell my son about the rats and he said that they should just get them out of there and trap them. Like everyone else, he's seen rat traps elsewhere before.
Unfortunately, rats can be trapped, structures can be repaired, but appeasing unhappy neighbors is probably the most difficult problem of all. Perhaps some creative problem solving is in order because many of these issues are not going to go away as long as any kind of playground exists in this park. It looks like this issue is going to be on the agenda of the next town meeting this coming Tuesday night, July 1st at 7PM for anyone interested.
Thanks,
Ann

I take my kids there... so much more interesting than the 1 foot slides that kids MUST try to climb UP, and metal spirals that serve little purpose.

From Nutley's NJHOMETOWN website

Some Say A Smaller, Quieter Facility Would Be Acceptable
Neighbors Want Children's Playground Closed

Jun 18, 2008 - Whether or not the existing Children's Creative Play- ground will ever reopen likely will be known before the end of this week, Parks Commissioner Mauro Tucci told last night's Town Hall meeting. "But right now, I can say that things don't look good," Tucci said.

Several neighbors residing on Funston Place, immediately adjacent to the playground, showed up at last
night's meeting in support of shutting down what they called a noisy and disruptive facility.

Parents and those who built the playground have always said that the main opposition to the children's player in the area has come from neighbors.

I have to wonder how many of those people that live right near the playground bought their houses knowing that was already in place.

It's like the people who buy a home near the airport and complain about the noise.

Steve - not quite the same. One person's right to a playground does not preclude another's right to reasonable quiet regardless of which was there first. It's a community, not everyone will agree but everyone's concerns should have equal weight.

I'm formerly from Nutley and I used to bring my kids to the Creative Childrens' Playground frequently. I feel the area is perfect for a playground and it should be rebuilt in materials that are rat-unfriendly.

Where there's water, there's rats! I used to have rats on the back patio because my parents' home backed up to the Third River. They fled from my yard because we had the typical 60's metal playset