Crescent Springs’ 25-year-old playground equipment at Lou Hartfiel Memorial Park is in need of updating, said city administrator Mike Daily.
“The playground at one time was a six-station playground for children with limitations… The maintenance plan has prolonged the life of the equipment considerably, but now it has come time to replace it,” Daily said.
The public works department inspects the equipment monthly and has made repairs over the years, but having been installed in 1998, the equipment at this park is too outdated to continue replacing and needs completely remodeled.
“The playground is in desperate need of repair,” Mayor Mike Daugherty said. “There’s going to come a time, possibly within the next year, where there will be very little that will be left to play on.”
Officials told LINK nky they hope to make the new playground more inclusive for children of all types of needs. Sensory play equipment, ramps, wheelchair-accessible swings, as well as a softer surface like turf or rubber or the ground are all amenities that the city has been looking to include. For children who are blind or have low vision, climbing frames can be modified and spaces can be made larger and wider for children with mobility aids.
Discussion of the proposed plans for the park will take place at the next city council meeting on Oct. 23, and discussion of the grant to pay for the equipment will take place in November.