City officials in Lewiston preach patience and public input as integral to making wise decisions for re-use or redevelopment of properties. There’s one property in particular, however, that needs an answer sooner than later: Maple Street Park.

Five years ago, the city and community groups raised $10,000 to rehabilitate the park, including the installation of new playground equipment on a fresh surface of grass and wood chips. Hailed as a showpiece, the park was emptied last year in preparation for a nearby demolition project.

The park has fallen into disuse and disrepair, with weeds, trash and a rusting bicycle replacing the playground. The equipment, according to the city, has been placed in storage, where it is currently scheduled to remain until a decision on the park is rendered next year, following an analysis of its best use.

While patience and public input is a wise re-use strategy – and one that has paid dividends for Lewiston – allowing this equipment to languish in storage during the interim is unnecessary. Children need places to play, and equipment available today in places like Kennedy Park is sorely lacking.

Kennedy Park is getting a face-lift, with the new skate park as its centerpiece. But until complete, the park lacks playground equipment, except for a single steel swing set and forlorn-looking wooden play set on a sandy corner adjacent to a construction zone.

The play set has rusting parts, and some of its wooden planks have settled into odd angles. It’s solid, but for a municipal park frequented by children and their families, the play set is a poor ambassador, and misrepresents the community’s investment in public recreation.

Especially when thousands of dollars worth of playground equipment is available, and unused.

Phil Nadeau, deputy city administrator in Lewiston, said it’s a reasonable question about why the Maple Street playground equipment can’t be reused in Kennedy Park. Maple Street’s future is unknown, he said, and the city wishes to wait until next year before deciding the use of the property.

“Decisions are going to be made,” Nadeau said. “It’s our commitment the equipment won’t be in storage for years.”

But for neighbors who miss Maple Street Park, and the families who use Kennedy Park, it’s equally reasonable for the city to act, even if only temporarily, to improve the playgrounds available to them.

A decision on Maple Street Park should not be necessary for some of its playground equipment to be installed in Kennedy Park, even if it means removal later. Soon, when construction in Kennedy Park is finished, Lewiston children will have myriad places to run, jump and play in the city’s center.

There’s no reason to deny them opportunities in the meantime.