By Kevin Shalvey
Staff Writer

Making his way down the oversized wooden stairs, Ryan Bean, 3, carefully placed both feet on each step.

“I like this,” he said, pointing up and around the stairs and referring to his favorite part of Timber Town.

His father, Joseph, stood nearby. He asked if Ryan meant the “big slide.”

“Yeah, I like this,” Ryan said.

Timber Town, a Bedford public playground, has stood in the Eastern corner of the athletic complex off Nashua Road since 1994, when volunteers financed and built it. Now, the parks and recreation department is looking for volunteers to serve on a ccommittee for a new playground.

Town Manager Keith Hickey said Bedford’s insurance carrier is concerned about different parts of the structure.

“Its useful life has expired and it needs to be replaced,” he said. “It’s wearing out due to a combination of the building materials and heavy use.”

Timber Town is generally open until winter and reopens each spring, Hickey said.

“My opinion is that Timber Town needs to be replaced next spring before it reopens,” he said.

Parks and recreation member Michelle Casale is head of the subcommittee.

Last week, in Hickey’s 2007 town budget proposal, he allotted $100,000 to the project. Pending budget approval by the town council, the new playground should be jointly financed by the town and donations, Casale said. She said the subcommittee’s goal is $50,000 in donations.

Hickey said, if the $50,000 is raised and the town pays the remainder, the impact on the tax rate would be less than 2 cents.

“If the town has to raise the full $100,000, it may not be built, but that’s for the council to decide,” he said. “I’m hoping that we can at least raise the $50,000. It would be great if we could raise the entire amount like it was done in the past, but we cannot do that without the public’s help.”

The old playground is becoming dangerous with age.

“It’s getting worn out,” Casale said. “It’s time.”

The playground is separated into two parts. The top level is recommended for 5- to 12-year-olds, while the bottom is for 2- to 5-year-olds. Below are swings, an open-roofed house and a small tower. Above, there is a taller tower with steering wheels, a bridge and two plastic swirling slides.

Ryan’s sister, Samantha Bean, 1, played in the upper section. Their mother, Kerri, said they have lived in Bedford for five years and often come to the playground.

“So far,” she said, “I haven’t found any issues with it being unsafe. It might be a little high, but it’s built for the bigger kids and I climb up it with her.”

The new playground, Casale said, will be different. It will be made with either metal or a combination of metal and vinyl.

“It’s 12 years old and the designs are much more up to date now,” Casale said. “So, I don’t think it’s going to be exactly the same.”

The Beans remember metal playgrounds from when they were younger, they said.

“I’m sure whatever they build will be state-of-the-art. I had a metal swing set when I was little,” Kerri said, laughing, “and I thought they said that was unsafe.”

Casale said the subcommittee and volunteers with be fundraising throughout the community. The new playground, she said, may be finished as soon as late spring.

At the Sept. 20 commission meeting, resident George Potter said this may be the perfect opportunity for people in town to get involved and suggested research should be done on building a playground and the best fundraisers to raise the money.

So far, Casale has nine volunteers and is looking for more. Any questions can be sent to Casale at bedfordnhplayground@comcast.net.