The hot metal play domes that caused such a ruckus when they scalded children during the opening days of the Pier 1 section of Brooklyn Bridge Park earlier this month have been placed off limits.
Park officials last Thursday cordoned off the so-called “hot metal orbs of pain” so that children can no longer play on them — and planners said that they’re looking at other play equipment to replace them.
The three metallic orbs at the kiddie playground at the foot of Old Fulton Street in DUMBO reached temperatures of more than 129 degrees under the intense summer sun. The Empire State Development Corporation said it was looking for “alternate, all-weather play equipment options.”
Parents seemed relieved that the domes were cordoned off.
“Originally, they put up tents to block the sun, but you had to move them as the sun moved,” said Brooklyn Heights resident and park regular Anila Carku, whose son sat near the domes. “They should plan something else, like put rubber over the domes.”
Park officials wouldn’t comment on the “options” or when the entirety of the playground might open. But the revelation comes just weeks after a development official admitted that there had been made “mistakes” in planning the playground.
Still, there’s plenty of fun to go around: the playground super-complex of Pier 6 at the foot of Atlantic Avenue opened to mostly rave reviews earlier this month.
