Agenda - Council - 07/23/2019 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Nowthen Mayor Pilon concurred this was brought up about three or four years ago. Discussion was held regarding extending the park into Nowthen, in order to help justify Nowthen's expenditures. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood added that staff reached out to the Nowthen Lions, who had expressed some interest in working with the Park Board. An unidentified resident said this is the same equipment she grew playing on, over 40 years ago. She would like to see every piece of the equipment gone. The equipment has been painted 15-20 times. It would be nice to have all new equipment. Safety concerns were mentioned regarding the concrete pipes. One unidentified resident has asked for the equipment to be tested for lead. She asked how many layers were tested when the original testing was conducted by the City. She is not clear how many layers deep were tested. Chair Bennett asked whether there is a big enough safety concern that the equipment should be removed right now, and it would be a blank space until improvements 2020. Safety is his number 1 concern. If the neighborhood feels that concerned about safety, perhaps that is a real alternative. One unidentified resident said new families are moving into these homes, and so it would be important to have a space for the kids to get together. A promise from the City would be needed. One unidentified resident stated he can hear the kids playing and enjoying the park. Kids bike here and having a good time. Chair Bennett asked for specifics for the previous lead testing. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood responded the City scraped paint and it was sent out for testing. Lead contamination would have shown up, given the vigorousness of the testing. He noted that falling on a sidewalk or concrete steps at a park would be no different than falling anywhere else. It is safe, though it is tired and merits replacement. An unidentified resident asked about people with access to machines who would be willing to help tear things out free of charge. Several residents mentioned it is difficult to watch other neighborhoods get new play equipment when Ford Brook receives nothing. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood stated the new playgrounds are usually associated with new subdivisions, which are required to pay a substantial fee to the Park Trust Fund for every new home. The new playgrounds are almost never paid for by tax dollars, but are fees collected from developers. Chair Bennett noted that is a challenge of the Park and Rec Commission. The question is how to get on a plan to address aging equipment. There is a strategy adopted to focus on the larger Park and Recreation Commission/May 9, 2019 Page 3 of 6