REPLACEMENT PROJECT
New playground structure coming to Rotary Park
A new play structure is coming to Rotary Park in Waterford Township and at a lower price.
Cost of the replacement project at 5485 Tubbs Road is about $45,293. The Waterford Parks and Recreation Department is covering about $30,293 of that with the Rotary Club covering the rest.
Alison Swanson, director of Waterford parks department, said the old structure was over 20 years old and no longer safe.
Money from the department’s capital improvements budget was set aside for the 2021 fiscal year budget, she said. The township’s fiscal year budget coincides with the calen
dar year.
A replacement structure was first discussed between the department and the Waterford Rotary a couple years ago. Due to COVID-19, discussions were postponed until the end of 2020.
In May, Swanson presented the Township board with a project outline. The new blue-and-gold structure, which includes 15 activities and is geared for ages 5-12, will be located where the old structure is. The area is approximately 40-by-32-feet.
In June, Swanson informed the board that the township would save approximately $11,720 because a prior year’s model was available. The board unanimously approved the project.
“It’s still a wonderful unit and (the manufacturers) discount them to bring in newer units,” Swanson said.
Jack Mannshreck, the rotary’s president, said the club will pay for site excavation to improve drainage, artificial border timbers surrounding the play area, safety surfacing inside the timbers, and an American with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp.
A future swing set and benches could be in the works, he added, depending upon how much money is raised in coming months.
“Frankly, that was a huge conversation, whether we could do this within the year,” Mannshreck said of the club with about 20 members. “We might have to front-load that money, but that is the hope. Someone asked what the timeline is, and it is now.”
Esther Callahan said she helped write grants while passing out flyers and other literature to community groups and organizations to raise funds and interest.
That includes local athletic teams, who can utilize playing fields while food trucks park on the premises for the first time for certain events.
“It’s such a nice park,” Callahan said. “The play structure will certainly get a lot of use.”
Swanson said the structure is made of metal, plastic and concrete materials and requires no lumber. Due to pandemic-related delays and smaller crews, the timeline is for construction to occur before winter hits.
“We are working the best we can to complete this by the end of the year,” Swanson said.