PERRY HALL, Md — Angel Park in Perry Hall is temporarily closed for renovations, including a new rubber playing surface, some fresh paint, and drainage improvements. The park is expected to reopen by Nov. 1.
Kelli Szczybor founded Angel Park 10 years ago following the death of her son, Ryan.
"When Ryan passed away, we were grieving as a family. And we wanted to provide something in our community um for everyone to enjoy and to keep his memory alive," Szczybor said.
The rubber surface is central to what makes Angel Park unique — it is designed to be inclusive for children of all abilities.
"The rubber surface is the key to everything, a wheelchair, a child with braces, any child with any kind of limitation can feel, free here," Szczybor said.
Funding for the surface replacement was secured with support from local officials, according to construction manager Michelle Streckfus.
"County Executive Klausmeier and Councilman David Marks have championed us getting some funding to be able to replace the surface here at Angel Park. It is a well loved place and the surface has lived very well for 10 years, and it's time for us to do a replacement," Streckfus said.
The new surface will also be engineered to provide varying levels of cushioning based on fall risk at different points throughout the park.
"So if we're at a component where it would be very high in the air, it's going to be up to probably 12 inches thick at that point and if we get closer to the fence where maybe it's not quite as high of a fall, it would be closer to maybe 4 or so inches, and that gives us the ability to provide a safe surface that then has a colored layer on top of it which will make the surface beautiful," Streckfus said.
In addition to the new surface, benches are being repainted and a drainage ditch is being installed to keep the park dry.
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