A small crowd gathered on the playground under heavy storm clouds on Saturday morning to witness the dedication of the newly reimagined College Park in honor of Alistair Lamb, the five year old boy who tragically died in last year’s gas line explosion.

An anonymous donor gave $200,000 for the project to improve the playground in Alistair’s memory. It was a deeply generous and thoughtful way to honor Alistair, who loved to play here, and to make it a wonderful place for other children to play and make memories for years to come.

“This gift stands as a lasting tribute to Alistair and reflects the compassion and resilience that have helped our community move forward during a difficult time,” Mayor Tom Hughes said at the dedication.

The gift refurbished the existing play equipment and provided new swings, including a wheelchair accessible swing, a springy modern rubberized safety surface to play on, new park benches, and a custom Spider- Man climbing structure.

There is even a Spider-Man design embedded in the floor.

Steve Grider of Recreation Installations, LLC designed and completed these improvements. He innovated the standard grid style climbing net into a spider web shape, and custom made the Spider-Man logo in the floor. Steve expressed gratitude at being chosen for this project. “It was our honor for sure,” he said.

Mayor Tom Hughes thanked Recreation Installations, LLC for their excellent work and also thanked the Lexington Parks and Recreation Department for their support throughout the project. To the anonymous donor he said: “We are deeply grateful for this thoughtful contribution, which will provide joy, recreation, and lasting memories for countless children and families for years to come.”