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Controversial Tire Swing Returns to Downtown Park

By Julie Shapiro | July 11, 2011 7:04am | Updated on July 11, 2011 7:34am
The tire swing in the new West Thames Park provoked months-long controversy. Parents took the tire swing down, then the state put it back up, took it down and promised to put it back up again. As of last week, the swing was still in storage.
The tire swing in the new West Thames Park provoked months-long controversy. Parents took the tire swing down, then the state put it back up, took it down and promised to put it back up again. As of last week, the swing was still in storage.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

BATTERY PARK CITY — A controversial tire swing that injured several children last summer is on its way back to Battery Park City.

The state plans to reinstall the swing in West Thames Park within the next four to six weeks, said Lisa Weiss, urban design director with the State Department of Transportation, which built the park.

"It'll be one of the last things to go into the park," Weiss said last week.

Concerned parents had the tire swing removed last summer, shortly after the $9.4 million park opened,  after several children smacked their heads on the wooden crossbeam while riding it.

Community Board 1 held several meetings with State DOT to decide what to do about the tire swing, and in July 2010 everyone agreed it made sense to reinstall it because similar swings have operated all over the city without incident.

"Any child can get hurt on any piece of equipment," CB1 member Anthony Notaro said at one of the meetings last summer. "We haven’t seen a significant danger yet."

However, despite the agreement to reinstall the swing, it has remained in storage for the past year.

Weiss said she wanted to wait until State DOT had ironed out all the other issues with the park, including clogged drains and a torn-up field. State DOT is also waiting to reach an agreement with the Battery Park City Authority over who will maintain the park once it is officially complete.

Representatives of both sides said they expected to hammer out a deal soon, but if they don't it could delay both the installation of the tire swing and the opening of the park's newly sodded field, which has been closed for repairs since May.  

In the meantime, CB1 plans to convene a working group to discuss new rules for the lawn to ensure that it stays in good condition once it opens. The community board's website will have details once they are available.