New London - On Thursday morning, workers were spreading blue rubber mulch around new playground equipment at Bates Woods Park, putting the final touches on its brand new playscape.

The bright green, yellow and red slides, swings and climbing platforms are a welcome addition to the nearly 100-year-old park off Chester Street, which is about to undergo a $1 million renovation.

"It looks really nice up there,'' said Nancy Baude, a member of the Parks & Recreation Commission, which pushed for the new playground equipment at the 95-acre recreation area, which also features three ball fields, three picnic pavilions and is home to the city's dog pound.

"It's a heavily used park,'' said Baude. "People need a place to go.''

It is the first of five playscapes the recreation commission is installing in several parks throughout the city. Baude said new equipment will go up in Fulton Park, off Crystal Avenue; Mercer Park off Willetts Avenue; Greens Harbor Beach of Pequot Avenue; and Calkins Park off Riverview Avenue. The city has bonded about $500,000 for the equipment and installation, she said.

The city will soon go out to bid on $1 million worth of other updates to the park, which will include new parking areas, sidewalks, lighting, bathrooms, and improvements to the pavilions and the food service building.

Plans also include renovating the main entrance and creating two new walk-in gates off Chester Street.

"It's going to provide a way for all people to get into the park,'' said Keith Chapman, special assistant to the city manager, who is charge of the project. The original entrance, he said, is not wide enough to install sidewalks and there are problems with handicapped accessibility.

"The park is difficult for those in wheelchairs,'' he said. "The new gate locations will allow much easier access to the fields.''

In January, the City Council awarded a $110,000 contract to Milone McBroom for landscaping and engineering services for the park, which at one time was home to a zoo.

Original plans called for removing telephone poles and stone vehicle barriers; replacing picnic tables and trash cans; installing new signs, upgrading three ball fields, the concession stand and the restrooms; constructing concrete bleachers and new press boxes at the fields; and expanding the park to accommodate 107 vehicles.

But Chapman said the plans were scaled back because of costs. Updates to the three ball fields and the bleachers will be done in a future phase of the project.

"The whole plan has been somewhat fluid in design,'' Chapman said. The city will need about another $1 million to finish the park improvements, he said, adding that he is looking for grant money to help pay for future projects.

k.edgecomb@theday.com