A historic site + highway: Shot Tower tot lot

Playground: Shot Tower
Location: Front and Carpenter (gate on Carpenter)
Date visited: 9/5/09

Equipment: Two playsets, not particularly separated:

• smaller has 3 slides, some climbing stuff
  
• larger has 2 slides, a straight bridge (with no real bars!), and curvy monkey/horizontal bars

Also strap and bucket (2) swings nearby.
material: modern resin and metal, a little weathered, some metal slides; scale: medium
Ages: 0-8
Surface: rubbery composite under play equipment, concrete elsewhere
Shade(0-3): 1 (some on smaller set + swings)
Water: Y*
Other: grassy (ball) field adjacent -- marked for kids 12 and under only -- benches, rec center
Access: closes at dusk, but gate has some specific hours that may or may not match that. (forgot to write them down!)

Impressions: Serviceable but uninspired play equipment (although one set of the smaller slides were quite fun), against the background din of I-95 across the street (overhead). A single water sprayer in a round pool is tucked back by the far end of the rec center, where it would be easy to miss, as are two wooden picnic tables. Probably a great resource for the neighborhood of rowhouses and newer highrises -- certainly somebody lovingly maintains a number of cheerful planters full of flowers -- but nothing one would go out of the way for. Plus: on other side of the highway underpass is a historic church with an extensive grassy churchyard that would make a nice picnic site. (They appear to have a daycare or preschool, which might generate some business for the Shot Tower park.)
Overall rating: 6