District of Houston work crews have been removing the log perimeter around Steelhead Park following an assessment that they are becoming a safety hazard.
“Due to its growing age and the year-long weather elements the logs are exposed to, the perimeter is rapidly disintegrating and can no longer be maintained at a safe level,” leisure services director Tasha Kelly wrote in a memo to council.
“This level of disintegration has cause for increased safety concern and liability on the District of Houston.”
District staffers each year conduct safety inspections of playgrounds and parks to ensure there are no outstanding issues and to provide guidance and information as to what’s required for ongoing use and maintenance.
Kelly said the park will remain without a perimeter until an appopriate replacement is lined up.
“Due to the increased cost of lumber, replacement will be sought in a timely, cost-effective manner,” she wrote.
While there are standards for playgrounds, those standards don’t include perimeter material, meaning staffers are eligible to look at numerous replacement options, Kelly continued.
Those standards set by the CSA Group and the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association due include playground bases.
“Appropriate materials for playground bases include sand, gravel, wood chips, engineered wood fibres, shredded rubber and synthetic surfaces,” Kelly noted. “The playground currently has an appropriate amount of gravel.”