New playground equipment might have a nautical theme.
Rendering provided
By Jane Smith
Veterans Park will soon have new playground equipment after Delray Beach commissioners agreed to pay slightly more than $92,000 to replace the aging wooden structures.
“We’re hoping it can be in the next 12 weeks,” said Suzanne Davis, Parks and Recreation director. “I don’t want to promise anything. It all depends on the manufacturer and the site plan approval.”
Gametime/Dominican Recreation Products, of Longwood in central Florida, submitted the lowest bid for the playground equipment, installation and mulch underneath the 97-by-46-foot area, suitable for ages 2 through 12. The playground equipment also will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Davis told commissioners on Oct. 20.
The two wooden playgrounds by Leathers and Associates were constructed through a community build in 1993. City Parks staff repaired problems found through regular inspections, but the age of the structures made replacement parts difficult to find.
“I don’t want to have the site without playground equipment for a long time,” Davis said after the meeting. “I want to take it apart, haul it away and then level the site and have the new equipment be installed.”
Volunteers will be needed to help dismantle the equipment under the guidance of city Parks staff, Davis said. She will get the word out through the city’s website and emailing system and traditional media.
For those whose names were on the wooden equipment, they can claim the piece. It also can become part of an artwork that will be created by a local artist near the playground equipment.
Davis also told commissioners on Oct. 20 that the playground equipment could be moved to other areas of the 3.5-acre Veterans Park.
That pleased Vice Mayor Shelly Petrolia, who held the gavel when the mayor left after an hour into the meeting. She long has expressed concern about the condition of the playground equipment.
The nearby Atlantic Crossing project, which plans offices, shops and restaurants, agreed to pay $500,000 to fix up Veterans Park, but the project is in federal litigation with the city.
Commissioners unanimously approved the new playground equipment by a 4-0 vote.
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