Pine Brook Park Renovation Underway in Larchmont

Before summer’s end, neighborhood kids could be hopping aboard a pirate ship as its captain or conducting a three-part wooden train through newly renovated playground if all goes according to plan.

Last fall, the Pine Brook Association—Larchmont’s largest neighborhood association with 575 families—asked the village for funds for aging playground equipment that had been retired but not replaced as well as updated landscaping.  The village agreed to cover $20,000 of the cost from the Parks and Trees Committee budget, leaving the Association to cover the remaining $40,000.

Although the playground was renovated in 1978 and, again, in 1999, “most of the equipment was broken over time,” said Ralph Engel, vice-president of the Association.

And, in an effort to accommodate more pint-sized users of the park, the new equipment will include one Sand Digger toy along with a sand box where it can be utilized, two ride-on bouncers and a seesaw.

The overhaul will also include new benches, a safety surface, landscaping of the park and a support wall separating the playground area from the street.

So far, the Association’s fundraising “temperature” has nearly been reached— according to a sign placed prominently in the park—with only $10,000 left to go.  The group plans to hold several fundraisers in the upcoming months and is also asking for donations on their website, which can be accessed by clicking here.

“We have received a lot of small contributions,” said Engel, adding that many former Pine Brook residents have given money to support future generations of children utilizing the park.

In addition to monetary donations, the Association was able to get all landscaping and wall work done at cost, courtesy of Joanne Grossman of

Currently, the renovation is on track to be completed at the end of June, said Engel, with the only anticipated delays being the acquisition of playground equipment that, so far, has been slow-going. 

Credit card donations can be made through the Pine Brook Association's website here.

Editor's Note: Only one Space Digger toy will be purchased, not two as originally stated.