JUDGE MORTON A. BRODY PLAYGROUND

"A COMMUNITY PLAYGROUND PROJECT"

The trend in the late 80’s and early 90’s was to build playground structures, often referred to as playscapes, of wood. This allowed more bang for your buck in that buying the wood and actually constructing the components was less expensive than purchasing manufactured equipment, allowing you to build more with less money. It also allowed the opportunity for more people in the community to be involved, creating a wonderful sense of ownership and pride. The life expectancy of these types of playgrounds was initially unknown. Now that some time has passed, it has pretty much been determined that the average life expectancy of these type of playscapes is between 10-15 years, depending obviously on such factors as quality of construction, use, care, etc. Our playground is 12 years old.

Existing Playground: Unfortunately everything has a life expectancy and our playground is no exception. The existing playground is comprised primarily of treated, wooden telephone poles for supports, and redwood for decks and railings. The short of it is that the playground is wearing out. As mentioned above, it is 12 years old and is used by literally thousands of youth per year. The wood is deteriorating, frost has moved some components, some splintering is occurring, nails have become exposed in some areas, etc. The Parks and Recreation Department continually works to address all areas possible to provide for a safe environment. A good analogy to think of would be a wooden deck attached to a home. Eventually, despite ongoing maintenance, the deck wears out and needs to be replaced.

Goal: To raise the necessary funds needed to replace the existing wooden playscape with manufactured equipment comprised primarily of treated steel and plastics. Although manufactured equipment would be more expensive to purchase, it would last longer, comes with warranties, and require less maintenance. A committee has been formed entitled the "North Street Playground Association" for the purpose of addressing fundraising, design, and possibly installation. Obviously, the success of a project like this hinges primarily on the ability to raise the necessary funds.

Cost: The existing playground cost about $48,000 when it was installed in 1988. It is estimated to cost between $100-125,000 to replace equipment with treated steel and heavy plastic manufactured equipment felt necessary for this project. Bangor just spent about $98,000, to give you an idea of what another community has done.

Timetable: It is the hope of the committee that the fundraising goal will be met over the winter months so that a spring/early summer installation would be possible.

Name of the Playground: It was the feeling of the playground committee that something should be done in the community in recognition of the late Judge Morton Brody, and that this project would be a wonderful tribute. In talking to people throughout the community, everyone approached thought this was a super idea. On November 8 the City Council unanimously supported a resolution naming the new playground the "Judge Morton A. Brody Playground".

What other Communities are doing: Across the country, and certainly within the State of Maine, most communities with these types of playgrounds are replacing them. An informal survey conducted by the National Recreation and Parks Association over the internet reported that of the communities responding, three quarters of them are currently replacing their playgrounds. In Central Maine alone, Bangor, Brewer, Old Town, Orono, and Farmington are all in varying stages of replacing playground structures.