Paterson playground remains closed as soil cap complicates repairs

A playground near East 28th Street in Paterson has been closed for five years, with damaged equipment still in place because digging to replace it could disturb a barrier over contaminated soil, according to a Nov. 6, 2026, Paterson Press report. The report said work had not begun and identified no approved repair project, funding source or reopening date.

The report described a collapsed walking bridge, a cracked crawl tube and gaps and cracks in the rubber surface. Insurance inspectors cited rust as a potential injury hazard. The playground lies between the Rutland Center and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School. The city lists the MLK facility at 851 E. 28th St.

The nearby district facilities serve preschool and autism programs at Rutland Center and K–8 students at the MLK school, the report said. The superintendent was planning to convert the MLK building to grades 6–8 for the 2027–28 school year; that change was still planned, not in effect, at the time of the report.

Why replacing the equipment involves the soil barrier i

Assistant Business Administrator Lance Gaines told the school board that soil beneath the playground had been capped during remediation. He said excavation could disturb the cap, requiring state involvement and lengthy, costly procedures. Gaines also said the area was safe for students and residents as long as the cap remained undisturbed.

An earlier account from the New Jersey Education Association dates removal of contaminated historic fill and installation of a multilayered barrier at the playground to summer 2010—about 16 years before the 2026 report. That history helps explain the district’s concern about digging, but it does not change the distinction between replacing equipment and disturbing soil.

District spokeswoman Aida Rosario estimated equipment replacement at $275,000 to $400,000. That figure is for play equipment only; it is not an estimate for excavation, soil remediation or the full project cost.

Funding remains a suggestion, not a board commitment i

Gaines presented the issue to the board on Oct. 14, 2026. Paterson Press reported that no board members discussed his presentation. Facilities Committee Chairman Hector Nieves told the newspaper the district should look into possible state or federal funding. The report describes that as a suggestion, not an adopted funding plan or repair commitment.