The ceremony was a bright light at the end of a long tunnel of fundraising and organizing to remodel McKinley Park– which now boasts two sets of playground equipment, a new wheelchair-accessible swing and picnic table, a fence and parking improvements.

The park upgrades were funded by a $50,000 Local Enhancement and Advancement Fund grant. LEAF is funded by occupancy taxes collected on all hotel, motel, bed and breakfast and vacation rental stays in Essex County.

The Rotary Club of Lake Placid also donated $5,000 for the purchase of an accessible picnic table and playground swing, and Ampersand Biosciences donated one of the two new sets of playground equipment from the former Lake Clear Elementary School, which the company purchased in 2018.

“This was a collaborative project,” Councilwoman Emily Kilburn Politi said.

She also thanked both the village and the town highway departments for helping to move the playground equipment, and highlighted the North Elba Park District for being “the driving force behind the project.”

Both the North Elba Park District and the Lake Placid Department of Public Works were also involved in the planning process and helped install the playground equipment.

Work on the playground initially began last fall, and after a break for winter weather, it was completed in May.

After the ribbon was cut, Kilburn Politi dismissed both the officials and an assembled group of children, saying:

“Go play, kids!”