Heckscher Park is a prominent local park and designated National Historic District located in Huntington, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. Encompassing approximately 18 acres, the park is roughly triangular in shape and features a large pond at its northwest corner. It is home to several notable amenities, including the Heckscher Museum of Art—founded by industrialist August Heckscher—the Chapin Rainbow Theater, and a newly constructed 15,000-square-foot playground designed for children of all ages and abilities.In late winter/early spring of 2023, the municipality broke ground on a long-anticipated playground redevelopment project, transforming a vision long supported by the Sheryl Steinberg Collins Foundation into reality. The Foundation donated a significant portion of the funding to create a bright, safe, and fully ADA-compliant playground that welcomes children of all abilities. Orange was selected as the primary design theme by Mr. Steinberg in honor of his late wife and surviving daughter, as it was their favorite color.The playground is constructed on a recessed, compacted stone base, allowing the play tiles to sit flush with the existing stamped concrete walkways. This seamless transition ensures full ADA accessibility throughout the playground perimeter, including wheelchair access to all play areas. To further enhance performance, a newly designed Fabric/Mesh Sandwich System was installed between the stone base and the play tiles. This system promotes efficient drainage while maintaining long-term sub-base stability. The internal plastic grid provides high compressive strength and allows for multi-directional water flow, ensuring continuous drainage.To replace the deteriorating poured-in-place (PIP) surfacing previously used, the municipality selected Unity Surfacing’s rectangular play tiles. This decision was based on multiple factors, including Unity’s proprietary “Step and Repeat” installation method, which aligns real seams with simulated seams to create a more secure, interlocked surface. In addition, performance testing demonstrated that Unity’s “Skin-Top” tiles significantly outperformed traditional EPDM tiles, pigmented tiles, and PIP systems—an important consideration given the playground’s weekly usage of over 1,000 visitors.Unity Surfacing worked closely with town officials and community members during the planning phase to select appropriate colors and blends that would complement the play equipment while mitigating heat exposure. A light gray base tile was chosen for the main field area, blended with orange, lime green, and black to reduce visible dirt and scuffing. The final blend consisted of 75% light gray, 10% orange, 10% lime green, and 5% black.To add visual interest, a secondary “pop” color design was incorporated using half-tiles placed intermittently throughout the playground. This blend featured orange and “Orange Melon,” along with lime green and black, creating a vibrant yet cohesive aesthetic.Following completion, the safety surfacing was tested for G-max and HIC ratings. Results showed performance approximately 20% better than traditional installations over compacted stone. Unity believes this innovative system represents a significant advancement in playground surfacing, particularly for improved durability and stormwater management.