Work was expected to finish Wednesday, July 17 in repairing the newer playground area at the Dublin City Park after someone cut a hole in the ‘fall-safe’ surface, necessitating a complete replacement of the materials.
City secretary Melissa Minor reported that the process to repair the playground took about three months as the city filed the repairs on its insurance. She reported someone had cut a hole in the fall-safe surface about 5 inches deep.
The damage still was never officially reported to the city. Instead, city employees saw a post about it on Facebook and by the time they examined it, rainwater had saturated the spongy material under the top layer, which caused more damage and resulted in the need for a replacement of the full mat.
They filed the claim in April and had to wait for approval and a qualified installer. Although the city only had to pay a $1,000 deductible on the work, any claim may result in a rise of insurance cost.
The colorful playground was officially unveiled to the public in March of 2019 following years of fundraising by the “Pennies for the Park” group.
Damage was also reported at the older playground near the City Swimming Pool as someone cut the front and back off the toddler swings. Minor reported there are plans to replace the tire swing with standard swings (as they have had to repair it several times) and now also to replace the damaged toddler swings.
Visitors to the playground are reminded that any damage takes time and money to fix. Minor also asked anyone noticing damage to report it by calling City Hall at 254445-3331 or emailing customerservice@ ci.dublin.tx.us.
“I love our park,” Minor said, adding that it was a factor that drew her family to Dublin. “It’s a great open space and we want to make it better.”