By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The Creative Playground will be torn down by the year’s end and village officials will seek public input on a replacement, Mayor Tim Currier said Tuesday.

“Our crews that would be responsible for tearing that down are doing road work,” Currier said. “Our goal is to get that structure down by the end of the year and I’m confident we can do that.”

The board and Recreation Committee don’t have a replacement lined up.

“They’ve had someone study it that makes and sells these things,” said Trustee Albert “Herb” Deshaies, who is on the committee.

“We’ve done a preliminary grant application. We’re in that phase now, nothing’s been settled on. Our priority now is to get it down,” Currier said. “At some point, we’ll look to the public for what they’d like to see there.”

Deshaies said he is hopeful that the New York Power Authority will chip in somehow.

“NYPA put that cooling tower in the arena, maybe they’ll build a playground for us. I’m just throwing it out there,” he said.

Deshaies said he hopes what goes in place of the wooden playground can be used by all demographics.

“They’re trying to make it so it’s accessible for young people and old people,” he said. “The biggest thing they were concerned with is taking it down, get rid of it.”