Original Article Link: http://www.derbyinformer.com/news/park-hill-playground-becomes-handicap-friendly/article_c2569c28-c12a-5405-b821-09ae376ef207.html
Ginger G. Golden Aug 10, 2013
The playground on the southeast corner of Park Hill Elementary school has a new, safer surface giving handicap students access.
TaylorMade Ecoturf Surfacing installed a 3,400 square foot Poured-In-Place safety surface replacing sand that had been there previously. The new surface is made of recycled rubber materials, creating a soft, bouncy surface and was installed in the middle of July.
“We’re trying to create some additional playground area for students with disabilities,” said Tom Snodgrass, director of operations for Derby Public Schools. “The playground is for primary grades. I wanted to give kids in wheelchairs access to this equipment so that staff can be out there with them and help them into swings
The project cost the district $24,650. Snodgrass said they will wait and see how it performs before he considers using it at other elementary schools.
“It’s our first venture with this and it’s not an inexpensive venture, either,” he said. “We want to make sure that it holds up well. It will probably be at least a year that we will watch this thing.”
Next year, Snodgrass said he will create some kind of access for disabled students at another playground. He is anticipating work at Swaney Elementary.
“We’re not sure exactly what that access will be like, whether it’s just a level surfacing or maybe it would just involve one piece of playground equipment,” he said. “We’re slowly trying to look at different ways to provide some place for handicap or disabled students to get access to.”