City removes playground structure at Memorial Park

Published by admin on Wed, 07/17/2024 - 7:00pm

The play structure at Memorial Park is being taken down to make room for a new one. The city received a $250,000 grant that will cover the cost. Photo by Philip A. Janquart

Several companies submitted to the City of Weiser conceptual drawings representing a variety of types and sizes of playground structures with many different play features. The city chose the model above because, in part, it is more ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) friendly. Currently, city crews are working on removing the old structure, which has been a bit more difficult than Public Works Director Mike Campbell anticipated. Some of the work remaining includes removing broken up chunks of concrete, digging out several poles, and hauling off old canopies.
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
 After over 20 years of service, the playground structure at Memorial Park is being removed.
 It comprised an interconnecting network of kid-friendly outdoor activity, including a slide, spanning bridge, jungle gym, chin-up bar, trapeze rings, playhouses, viewpoints, etc.
 As a result of the removal, it was reported to the Signal American that social media platforms, particularly Facebook, were abuzz last week with a range of comments, some expressing anger and frustration that the city would do such a thing.
 In an April 2024 article, the Signal American described in detail how the city applied for, and ultimately received, a $250,000 grant to replace the aging structure, which was removed to make room for a new, updated structure that not only is sure to make kids happy, but is significantly safer.
 Earlier stories were also published.
 “We were hoping to save some of the parts from the old one, but one of the guys was walking across it and it fell apart,” said Public Works Director Mike Campbell of a city employee who was part of a crew tasked with removing the structure. “Granted, he’s 250 pounds, but I’m glad it happened to him and not a bunch of kids or something.”
 The new structure is on order, according to Campbell who said he is hoping that it will arrive by August 1.
 The city removed the structure on its own to save some money, according to Campbell who noted that a full environmental study had to be conducted to replace equipment that already existed.
 “That’s the way the government does everything,” he told the Signal American, adding that removal, as of June 15, was not entirely complete.
 “There is still some stuff we are working on,” he said. “It’s not coming out as easy as we had hoped. We were trying to be gentle, so some parts could be saved, but the way it was cemented into the ground, it’s given us a lot more issues than we anticipated.”
 Campbell said he believes the structure was installed in either 2002 or 2003, intimating that it could have lasted a few more years if not for intentional damage caused by vandals.
 “They tell us the life expectancy for these things is 20 to 25 years, but somebody beat a hole in one of the main pipes, one of the main structural pieces that hold it up,” he said. “They used a hatchet or hammer or something and cut a big hole in it. That was about three years ago. We kind of patched it over so it would be safe, so nobody would be injured, so basically, we band-aided it together to make it safe, but we definitely had issues with it.”
 Unbelievably, the structure has been the target of even more serious vandalism.
 “It’s been set on fire, at least, three times,” Campbell said. “We replaced the climbing wall because they went inside and set it on fire with the sawdust and burned it, at least two times, but I’m pretty sure a third time, too. That’s one of the reasons it’s being replaced, because it’s been set on fire and has had holes beaten into it.”
 In short, the structure might have had a longer lifespan if not for the intentional actions of vandals. Campbell said the new structure was selected and ordered from a variety of companies that manufacture the equipment.
 “We had to pick from several different playgrounds,” he said. “Each company sent us multiple proposals. The one we chose has ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ramping, and is just generally more ADA friendly. Plus, this one has a big slide.”
 In addition to the playground structure, there will be two concrete cornhole sections and a ping-pong table that should be impervious to vandalism.
 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
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