GREENE – For many years, the Village of Greene “Ball Flats” park has served as a location for the community to gather for public events like the Labor Day picnic, little league games and festivals. Recently, a group of Greene residents formed the Greene Community Ball Flats Playground Planning Committee with it's sights set on revitalizing the underutilized public facility.

In April of 2009, ownership of the Ball Flats passed from the Greene Central School District to the Village and Town of Greene. Despite efforts to maintain the facilities, the existing playground had to be removed in 2010 due to deterioration and insurance liability.

Due to the rising costs of playground equipment and insurance compounded by the no-so-distant memory of two recent floods that inundated the Ball Flats; the Village and Town has refrained from replacing the playground.

A group of residents are now heeding the call for action and are interested in addressing the lack of a public playground in the immediate community, and are reaching out to the community and local businesses for participation, input and funding.

“Currently, there is no place in the Greene area for children to play with the exception of the school playgrounds. Since the security at many schools has been intensified in recent years, no one is allowed on school property or playgrounds during hours of instruction... if people try to enter the school property, they are generally asked to leave.”