Marion Recreation Director Jody Dickerson has secured two grants and applied for two additional ones to build new playgrounds at Point Road and Washburn Park.

“This is something that’s been in the back of my mind for awhile,” Dickerson said. “Playgrounds and parks are a huge part of a community.”

The grant applications, sent to the town’s Community Preservation Act Committee, ask for $37,000 and $49,000 for the seperate sites.

The Point Road playground would replace a 60-year-old playground. The second would be built in Washburn Park where Hurricane Bob destroyed a playground there in 1991.

To offset construction cost, Dickerson secured two small grants on his own, $9,280 for the Washburn playground and $6,800 for Point Road. Community Preservation Act Committee funds would pay for the rest.

Each year, the committee allocates money to projects in four categories, open space, historic preservation, affordable housing and outdoor recreation and open space. The money is raised through a surcharge on property tax bills. The state matches a percentage of those town-raised funds. That percentage changes year to year.

Dickerson said playground funds would come from the account set aside for outdoor recreation. With playgrounds at Sippican School and Silvershell Beach, the new ones would be a great addition for young families in town, he said.

“Playgrounds are a huge part of growing up,” he said. “It’s great to see kids interacting with other kids and making new friends.”