This popular Pierce County playground is closed while crews give it new safety surfacing
If you were planning to take your kids to play at Sehmel Homestead Park, you’ll have to wait.
The playground is closed for resurfacing until July 2, according to a notice on the PenMet Parks calendar. The closure started June 18.
The project will replace old rubber tile surfacing with poured-in-place rubber safety surfacing, according to a memo included in the PenMet Parks’ Board of Commissioners meeting agenda for March 19. Gaps have formed between some of the current tiles.
“Failure to replace the tiles would result in progressive deterioration of the facility condition and performance,” the memo said. “The replaced surfacing will meet the protection standards for falls and bring the facility into good repair and compliance with accessibility standards.”
The 2022 Capital Budget and Capital Improvement Plan approved by the Board of Park Commissioners set aside $163,000 for the resurfacing project when it was approved in 2021, according to the memo. The board approved a resolution to increase the budget appropriation for the project to $230,000 at their March 19 meeting.
The old surface of the playground was installed in 2008, Robyn Readwin, interim director of administrative services for PenMet Parks, told The News Tribune via email. Readwin wrote that the new pour-in-place playground surface is expected to last at least 10 years. She said it should last longer than the current tiled surface because the new material will be a continuous surface without seams.
This story was originally published June 24, 2024 at 10:58 AM.
