CITY MAKES PARK PLAYGROUNDS SAFER

Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation employees mulched several playgrounds Monday, but their goal wasn't to protect plants -- they were protecting children.

Mark Sullivan, park supervisor, said areas originally covered in pea gravel were cleared so that about 12 inches of wood chips and shredded hardwood mulch could be added.

The mulch was added to playgrounds at Capaha, Arena, Indian and Choctaw parks so that the flexible surface would protect against falls off or around playground equipment.

The pea gravel from the four parks was moved to add protection in other parks which haven't been mulched. The goal is to remove all pea gravel within the next year and phase in mulch in all of the city's 23 parks with playgrounds, Sullivan said.

"What we found was that the pea gravel was not accessible for people with disabilities," he said. "The mulch is a better alternative to allow them to move around in those areas. It's more for safety and accessibility than for anything else."

Sullivan said mulching playgrounds has become a popular trend for agencies searching for inexpensive ways to safeguard playgrounds. Other options to the gravel and mulch were available, including rubber tiling poured over an asphalt pad, but the mulch was a quicker and more cost-efficient alternative, he said.

Mulch costs $608 for a tractor trailer load, which covers one to one and one-half playgrounds, he said.

"This is what other people are beginning to do to make it safer and more accessible, and we're trying to stay with that trend," he said.

The mulch does decompose over time, but Sullivan said regular maintenance and shifting of the material will slow that effect. Also, the mulch is layered with hardwood chips at the bottom and shredded parts at the top to provide better drainage in the playgrounds, he said.