The playground was officially turned over to the city. Although the original steering committee has been disbanded, a group called Friends of the Playground will continue efforts to make additional improvements, such as rest rooms and drinking fountains. Play by the Bay is a fantasy world for children with castle towers for knights to climb, a pirate ship crawling with menacing would-be pirates, an octopus slide and shark tunnel filled with young adventurers, and training equipment for Olympian athletes hanging on rings and riding a glider to tomorrow. While children play, adults sit on the many benches, chatting and basking in the sun. Or, they enjoy the spectacular view of the bay from the observation deck on the pavilion, while still keeping a watchful eye on their children.
Some adults sit and read in a quiet spot or have a family lunch at the picnic tables.
Other adults can be seen hunched over reading the names on the 1,800 pickets on the fence that surrounds the playground. Still others are looking at the many names on the brick pavers that line the walkway to the playground and on the memorial wall at the entrance listing the names of the major contributors. Play by the Bay is more than a dream come true. It is a commitment that Sea Isle City is a place for families to live in and to visit, a place that cares about children.