In anticipation of — and appreciation for — the recent Compo Beach playground rebuild, a few Friday Flashbacks flashed back to the original construction in 1989, and the subsequent renovation nearly 2 decades later.
But those were all photo flashbacks.
Today we’ve got a video.
Sure, it’s a video of still photos. Still, they tell a compelling story.
In 1989, elementary school students working with designer Robert Leathers created plans for a playground at what was then empty space adjacent to the lifeguard shack.
It would replace a forlorn couple of swings and monkey bars by the basketball courts.
Getting ready to build.
It was a great idea — until a group of residents opposed it. They worried about a “ruined vista,” and cited fears of teenagers and out-of-towners overruning the area, drinking and smoking dope and having sex.
A long court battle ensued. At the last minute a court injunction was lifted. Construction began immediately.
As in 2006 and again last month, hundreds of volunteers made magic happen.
The original build was captured in a video by Dom Rossi, a committee member, and his marketing company.
It was unearthed recently by Rick and Totney Benson. They worked on the first playground — and on its most recent renovation.
Howard Edelstein digitized it. RB Benson — Rick and Totney’s son — uploaded it yesterday to YouTube.
View it here, or below.
And when you do, realize that some of the kids in the video — as adults now, with children of their own — may have helped out this time.
The Compo Beach playground is a great, feel-good story, from 1989, 2006 and 2025.
Just imagine if the anti-playground forces had won.
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You can’t go wrong building a playground!
Thank you for posting the video of the original Compo Playground Build. My family was very involved in the project. It was a fantastic community building and playgound building event. Looking forward to seeing the latest one on my next visit to Westport.