Strat’s playground closed for safety violations

Strat’s playground has been closed indefinitely.

By Alice Waugh

The popular Strat’s playground behind the Hartwell school building has been closed for safety violations and will probably need to be torn down and rebuilt from scratch.

Parents were notified of the closure earlier this week in a letter from the Parks and Recreation Department. The playground was inspected on April 19 by Natick-based Playground Inspections of New England, which issued a report detailing widespread and serious safety issues including a lack of surfacing to cushion falls, head entrapment hazards, rust and tripping hazards.

Parks and Rec director Dan Pereira said the report’s findings were not a surprise given the age of the playground, which was built in 1989 and last renovated in 2001. Safety standards get more stringent every year and the materials used in the facility have aged, he noted.

“After a brief 1.5-hour review of the playground, it is my professional opinion that you should remove the entire structure,” inspector Nancy White wrote in her report.

“I do not think it is in the best interest financially for the town to retain my services to provide an audit. I would have to be on site for two days and compose a report that includes a much higher precentage of Priority 1 hazards,” which are defined as those that “could cause death or permanent impairment,” she wrote. A playground audit looks in detail at the facility’s materials, safety compliance and handicapped accessibility and must be performed before a new playground can open for use.

Most of the Strat’s structures are made of pressure-treated lumber that leaches out harmful chemicals unless it is sealed regularly. The sealant has been applied as necessary, but it’s an expensive process, Pereira said. As for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance, White did not do a formal evaluation but wrote, “Simply put, your playground is not handicap accessible in any way.”

Another problem is that the playground was built for children ages 5-12, but since it was built, Lincoln School students in that age group were moved across campus, and the only children now in the vicinity during the school day are Magic Garden preschoolers who are too young to safely use most of the equipment, Pereira said.

Leathers & Associates, which built the Strat’s playground, has been asked to look at the general design of the current playground and propose a budget for building a new facility using up-to-date designs and materials, Periera said. Such a facility could have separate sections for both preschoolers and older children, he said. Another consultant is evaluating the cost of renovating the existing playground, he added.

The playground’s future will be discussed at the Parks and Recreation Committee meeting on Monday, May 19 and the School Committee meeting on Thursday, May 22. “Both boards are sensitive to how popular that playground is” and will seek public input on next steps, Pereira said. “This is a facility that we want to continue.”