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The Vilonia Board of Education has approved a new playground surface – rubber mulch. Vilonia Primary School is spending about $54,000 from the stimulus money to buy handicap-accessible playground equipment.
“The students interact on the playground and we want some equipment they can all share,” she added. The new piece of equipment will have a safety surface installed underneath, she said, which is as expensive as the actual equipment. There are future plans, Mitchell said, for installing similar playground equipment also at the primary school.”
The project will take 82.5 tons of rubber mulch. Also approved is a purchase of 9 tons of rubber mulch for the daycare. The total cost being almost $10k. Source: http://thecabin.net/news/local/2010-04-15/new-hires-playground-purchases-get-look-school-board
Rubber mulch is great for playgrounds because of the prevention. As mentioned by a commenter on the story, “children fall off slides, monkey bars, swings, etc and the result is often broken bones. The rubber mulch provides padding and cushion that rocks, dirt, and pine mulch don’t. It could possibly prevent an emergency room visit. The mulch is only placed around the monkey bars, swings, and slides.”
But perhaps just as important the playground will be accessible for children in wheelchairs. You need a smooth surface and one that is not hard. Wood chips, sand and regular ground tend to be uneven and it’s difficult to push even a stroller on the uneven ground.
But being Arkansas (I’ve never been but can only imagine) it’s important to note that the board also announced an employee fish fry. I have never been to an employee fish fry but it sounds fun and tasty. Too bad I can’t go! I hope we can get pictures of the new playground though.
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Tags: playground, rubber mulch
