AGENDA #5c
MEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Removal of Play Equipment at Jones Park
DATE: March 27, 2006
PURPOSE
The purpose of this memorandum is to inform the Council that we intend to remove the play equipment at Jones Park because of safety concerns. Please see the attached location map.
BACKGROUND
In the early 1990s the current play structure was built in the 10-acre Jones Park. The park also contains some picnic facilities and a short trail to the Community Church.
DISCUSSION
The Jones Park play structure is unlike play structures in other Town parks. It is a large wood structure that was largely stick built by a contractor to resemble a fortress. Some standard components were added to the wood structure. A typical modern structure is pre-manufactured in components and installed with little or no construction.
In the past few years the structure has begun to deteriorate beyond what day-to-day maintenance and repair could address. In addition, national standards for playground safety have evolved to the point that many of the Jones Park play structure features that were acceptable in the early 1990s are no longer recommended. A major issue is that of height and fall surface. The play structure has platforms higher than most play equipment making it more difficult to provide acceptable fall surfaces.
In January, we asked the Town’s certified playground inspector to perform a formal safety audit of the structure. That audit recommended that the structure either be removed or undergo extensive renovations. In response, we closed the structure because of the identified safety concerns. In February, we paid a certified contractor not affiliated with the Town to make another safety audit. That audit confirmed the conclusion of the Town’s report.
In the past few years we have seen little use of the structure by children. We believe this pattern of activity may be related to the demographic makeup of the neighborhood. Most of the nearby residents appear to be college age adults. In the 1990s a nearby day care center provided most of the use of the structure. That day care center has now closed. Another day care center has opened in the same space but they appear to use their own play equipment. During the same period we have seen a rise in the amount of use of the equipment for inappropriate activities by adults.
The equipment is located totally within the Resource Conservation District. One corner of the structure is located in a stream bank. There has been damage in the past from flooding.
It might be possible to repair the equipment. We believe, however, that because of the extent of repairs that would be required, the lack of children in the neighborhood, and the location of the play structure within the Resource Conservation District, it would not represent an appropriate use of funds.
NEXT STEPS
Unless the Council desires to take some other action we will remove the equipment as soon as possible and restore the area to as natural a state as is possible.
Because Jones Park consists primarily of steep slopes and Resource Conservation District it may be difficult to provide traditional park amenities. We will report back to the Council once we gather information about the site limitations of the park and work with the Parks and Recreation Commission to recommend options for long-term management of the property.
RECOMMENDATION
On March 15, 2006, the Parks and Recreation Commission voted unanimously (9-0) to recommend that the existing structure be removed as soon as possible and that the area remain open space for now.
ATTACHMENT
