brown playground evaluation 05302013.doc

7/28/2019 Brown Playground Evaluation 05302013.doc

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Newburyport Public SchoolsNewburyport Public SchoolsFacilities Department

241 High StreetNewburyport, MA 01950

Brown School Playground EvaluationMay 30, 2013

Background

The Brown School playground was installed circa 1997 making it approximately 16 years old.Concern about the condition of the playground began to surface in 2009 due to deterioration of thewooden structure and the need for continual repairs to replace rotted deck boards and other structuralelements.

An initial survey of the playground in the summer of 2009 indicated the need to replace 10 of the5x5 posts. A price quote of $4700 to replace the posts was obtained from a local fencing contractor,but was never pursued due to the fact that there was a playground committee working on raising fundsto replace the playground in total. That effort died out when it became apparent that the newBresnahan School was going to be built and the Brown School population was going to move there.

A Loss Control Specialist from the Massachusetts Interlocal Insurance Association conducted aninspection of the playground in November of 2009. That inspection identified a number of potentialissues with the playground and is attached to this evaluation.

Numerous repairs to the playground have been made by the Maintenance Department in the past fewyears including replacement of deck boards and supports, and installation of 4x4 posts adjacent tosome of the rotted 5x5 posts to provide them with some stability. These repairs are temporary atbest but have served to keep the playground safe and operational to this point.

Evaluation

It should be noted that this evaluation was not performed by a Certified Playground Safety Inspector,but that the observations are based on physically probing the wooden structure, visual evaluation andbasic safety observations.

1. It was noted in 2009 that 10 of the 5x5 posts were in need of replacement. That numberhas now risen to 21.

2. One of the posts at the end of the Ring Beam (closest to Milk Street) has rotted outcompletely. The platform at the end of the Ring Beam can be rocked significantly from onecorner as the upper portion of the corner post is detached from the lower portion.

3. The two tallest towers can be shaken back and forth significantly from the upper platforms.The third tower is much more stable.

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4. Many of the deck boards continue to rot and as a result the decks have a spongy feel tothem when you walk across them. It is not inconceivable that boards could break as a childsteps on them causing injury.

5. The climbing rope is worn and frayed where it attaches to the structure.


A 6 probe couldeasily be inserted intomany of the 21 rotted

posts.

4x4 posts have beenadded to support

several of the originalrotted posts.


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Dirt and other debrisaccumulate in the cracks inthe deck boards, helping to

hold moisture andexpediting the deterioration

process.

The climbingrope is worn.


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Conclusions and Recommendations

A web search indicates that many communities have had to replace wooden playgrounds at around the20 year mark due to their deteriorated condition. The Brown School playground is in a shaded area, onground that does not drain well. Those two factors have likely played a role in expediting thedeterioration of this structure.

The 100% increase over the past three years in the number of posts requiring replacement isparticularly troublesome, and the 21 posts on that list represent about 40% of the total number of postsin the structure. The shaking of the two tallest towers and the complete detachment of the post at theend of the Ring Beam are also of great concern.

Repair and replacement of deck boards is only dealing with some of the more visible issues.Replacement of the posts would be a costly and time consuming process given the 3-4 of concrete intowhich they are set, and would be a cost prohibitive undertaking given the overall condition of thestructure.

The report prepared by the MIIA representative in 2009 points out other potential issues includingpossible clothing entanglement points and the lack of ADA accessibility.

Therefore, it is recommended that Brown School students discontinue use of the playground for theremainder of the school year. Taking into consideration the fact that this is also considered acommunity playground the city needs to become involved in this discussion and is encouraged toconduct a site visit and inspection of the playground. Should the consensus be reached that theplayground has reached the end of its lifespan the summer break provides an opportunity to remove theequipment and create a safer play space for student for the 2013-14 school year.


brown playground evaluation 05302013.doc

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