HomeWorld News$600k to replace one Stamford playground? Finance board members worry over project costs

$600k to replace one Stamford playground? Finance board members worry over project costs

  • February 13, 2022
  • Posted by: Bastion team
  • Category: World News
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STAMFORD — The Board of Finance delved into the costs of maintaining and upgrading city playgrounds Thursday after learning that a single project was expected to cost more than $600,000.

There are 20 playgrounds in public parks across Stamford. Among them is a playground at Courtland Park on the East Side that the city has eyed for replacement for years.

Equipment on the playground has broken and been removed over time, senior parks planner Erin McKenna told the finance board, and the play area isn’t accessible to those with disabilities. The city’s plans for the park include installing new play equipment as well as a poured-in-place rubber surface, replacing engineered wood fiber.

Mary Lou Rinaldi, the board’s vice chair, argued that there must be a way to revamp playgrounds at a lower cost.

“Every park doesn’t have to have the Mercedes-level equipment,” the longtime Democratic board member said. “Why can’t it be a Chevy or a Ford? We could do a lot more.”

City engineer Lou Casolo, who also attended the board meeting, said the new play equipment at Courtland costs about $180,000, which “doesn’t seem excessive” for a 7,500-square-foot playground. The poured-in-place rubber surface is expensive, he said, but engineered wood fiber requires more maintenance.

“The fiber moves around. It rains, it moves around. Kids go down the slide, it moves…

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