Scattered thunderstorms this morning, then mainly cloudy during the afternoon with thunderstorms likely. High 82F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..
Scattered thunderstorms. Low near 70F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
The central play structure in Trey Park has been closed for safety reasons and needs around $36,000 worth of immediate repairs, members of the Parks & Recreation Committee were told last week.
Some of the decking on the Trey Park central play structure has become degraded and is a safety hazard, leading to a temporary closure.
The central play structure in Trey Park has been closed for safety reasons and needs around $36,000 worth of immediate repairs, members of the Parks & Recreation Committee were told last week.
Some of the decking on the Trey Park central play structure has become degraded and is a safety hazard, leading to a temporary closure.
The central play structure in Trey Park has been temporarily closed because of safety concerns and needs immediate repairs.
Trousdale County’s Parks & Recreation Committee heard a report from the mayor and a safety inspector during a March 3 meeting on how to address the problems on the playground.
As part of an ADA-equipped grant received last year, a safety audit was conducted at the request of the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation.
“The central play area had several major issues, and based on her recommendation we closed that one and are in the process of trying to get replacement parts,” County Mayor Stephen Chambers told commissioners.
The mayor also shared several photographs of the equipment that showed major safety concerns. Tami Phillips, president of Miracle Play Equipment, was also at the meeting and spoke on what she found during her inspection.
In some areas the decking has severely rusted and a child’s foot could easily go through the flooring, causing what she called “significant injury.”
“When their foot goes through it, the first thing they want to do is pull it out. When they do that, the metal will cut them wide open,” she said.
Phillips noted that the play equipment was 23 years old and that the typical lifespan is 18 to 20 years.
Public Works Director Cliff Sallee concurred, noting that in some places what appears to be metal is in fact only the plastic undercoating.
Miracle has provided an estimate of $36,610.93 for parts to repair the equipment and commissioners voted to move forward on that. The full County Commission will need to approve the expense before work begins.
No timeframe for repairs was immediately available but Phillips said her company could have the parts ready and delivered within “weeks rather than months.” Public Works staffers will do the repair work, Sallee added.
“This is something we’re going to need to address as soon as possible,” Sallee said.
The mayor also addressed replacing the grass surface in Trey Park with rubber mulch. The Commission approved $100,000 in funding late last year, but the project has not yet been bid out. Chambers said he wanted to get the results of the safety inspection before proceeding.
Phillips said rubber mulch would help, but noted that the six-inch depth in the initial bid would leave some of the slides out of compliance with safety codes. The drop from the slide to the ground would exceed a 15-inch requirement, she said, and recommended adding rubber mats to make up the height difference.
Sallee also updated commissioners on work to open the county’s swimming pool this summer.
Thus far Public Works has hired 17 lifeguards, which would provide adequate staff to be able to open in May. The pool was closed in 2020 because of the pandemic and closed last year because of a lack of available staff.
“I’m pretty sure we’ve got everyone we need,” Sallee said, with the exception of one assistant manager position. “I think we’re ready to go.”
The committee will receive an update at its next meeting, which is scheduled for April 28 at 6 p.m. Scheduling and fees will be discussed at that time as well.
Lifeguards are scheduled to go through certification training in April, Sallee noted.
The cost of chemicals has risen substantially and will be seen in the pool’s operating deficit, he added. In 2019 a bucket of shock was $94.99 and a bucket of chlorine tablets was $125.99. At present shock is going for $220 per bucket and the tablets are over $300 per bucket, Sallee noted.
Commissioners also received an update on replacing the light and poles at the Little League fields. The County Commission approved roughly $232,000 in funding in February for that purpose.
Sallee said the equipment would take around 14 weeks to arrive and that the work would need to be done in the fall to avoid conflicting with the Little League and youth football seasons.
“The time it’s going to take to pull all those poles and change them out, it’s not going to be an overnight deal,” he said.
Reach Chris Gregory at 615-450-5756 or cgregory@hartsvillevidette.com.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Your comment has been submitted.
There was a problem reporting this.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.