Answer: Thank you for your interest in Gould Park. When the Playground Committee first started last winter, we all went through a bit of sticker-shock at how expensive many aspects of a park are, but when you think of all the people that use a park over the course of a year (much less over the 30+ years since Gould Park was last redone) or compare it to the investments of other parks in the area (e.g. Irvington announcing a $1.6 million dollar plan for Matthieson Park) it is actually a modest budget for a park. New York State has contracts with playground equipment companies so those costs are set. Plus we have to add in safe ground covers based on the height of the equipment, installation fees, asphalt, landscaping, etc. The park designs have come from a Dobbs Ferry resident doing them pro bono, so we are already saving tons of money here to get a well-thought-out park and what we think is the most bang for our buck, so to speak.