Dartmouth Gets Another Upgraded and Accessible Playground

DARTMOUTH (WBSM) — Children in Dartmouth may have had to say goodbye to a beloved town icon, but they’re getting a new playground out of the deal.

A brand new playground has opened at Dartmouth Regional Park, located at 443 Old Fall River Road. According to a release from the town, “the newly-installed purple and blue fully-equipped playground brings a new level of safety, accessibility and fun to the park.”

The upgraded playground came about after Dartmouth’s Special Town Meeting voters approved $512,086 in Community Preservation Act funds for the project in October 2022.

The total cost of the playground was $1,034,172, with the remainder coming from the town’s Capital Improvement Plan and Department of Parks and Recreation budget.

Get our free mobile app

The new playground features swings, slides and climbing areas in two different sections: one for children ages 2-5, and the other for ages 5-12.

However, one familiar feature of the previous playground was not able to be incorporated into the new design.

“As for the infamous purple dinosaur that once occupied the park, unfortunately, it was past its reasonable lifecycle,” the Town stated in a release. “The Department of Parks and Recreation did try to get a replacement, only to find that it is no longer being manufactured.”

The dinosaur’s severed head was recently discovered and has since come into the possession of a local family.

In 2021, the town upgraded the Apponagansett Park playground, and did the same for the Jones Park playground in 2022.

“The completion of this site, located at the Dartmouth Regional Park, brings all of our Town Park playgrounds up to code and accessibility,” said Tim Lancaster, Dartmouth’s Director of Parks and Recreation.

The park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.