Damaged Part Delays Playground Opening

Last week, in .

But parents and children trying to visit the new play space have been disappointed. A protective side rail for an elevated part of the structure arrived damage, and the has closed the playground until a new part arrives and can be installed.

"It was just apparently not manufactured properly," said Sharon Ranals, director of Parks and Recreation. "It didn’t look damaged, but the piece where you attach it was welded funny, and it doesn’t match up with the pole."

The part is expected to arrive Sept. 6, and once it's installed and deemed safe, the playground will open. Signs posted at the playground promise to reopen by Sept. 9, but parks officials say they hope to open it as soon as possible. 

In the meantime, parks employees were working at the playground Wednesday building a fence and benches to line the playground. They'll also lay down more wood chips to make the surface softer.

The city tore down old play equipment in the same location because it was over 15 years old and not in compliance with safety codes, said Maria Patea, an administrative assistant in the Parks and Recreation Department. The city plays to build two more play structures at Orange Memorial Park by the end of the year using funds from park fees.

Ranals said the city coordinated its own plans with the KaBOOM! project and had a landscape architect create a cohesive design.

"With KaBOOM!, there’s a limit to the square footage that they can donate, and we used the full amount," Ranals said. "With what the city can do and what KaBOOM! can do, we’re able to make a much better playground. It leverages the money we do have and makes it go further."

The city council is slated to approve the new construction this fall.

"The timing wasn’t perfect—it would have been nice to do everything all at the same time—but we’re doing it as close as we can," Ranals said.