Commission Meeting Agenda Item

The Parks and Recreation Director is seeking direction on how to invest the $120,000 the Town has budgeted for new equipment at Pyramid Park.

Staff received a call from a concerned parent about the rubber mulch at the playground. When originally installed, the rubber mulch consisted of recycled bicycle tires. During my tenure, I have added proper rubber playground mulch when needed. There have been articles regarding the possible health effects of being exposed to recycled rubber from tires. These stem from the recycled tires used in artificial turf on sports fields, and some organizations have switched to the cheaper and less effective wood mulch as a substitute. Wood mulch is prone to rotting and has little to no shock absorption, and costs more over the long-run due to it needing to be replaced often.

The Parks, Recreation and Tree Advisory Committee is requesting that the Town invest in poured rubber, although at a cost of approximately $17.00 per square foot, it would probably cost more than the budget of $120,000. Staff is seeking direction from the Commission on whether to add new equipment at the playground and keep replacing the proper rubber mulch, or invest in poured rubber mulch.