More than a month after the district closed 15 of the 17 elementary school playgrounds, Amy Inman said questions still remain unanswered
HAMILTON -- The closed playground at Robinson Elementary School served as a backdrop for Hamilton Democratic mayoral candidate Amy Inman on Wednesday as she expressed her frustrations with the playgrounds at both the schools and township parks.
More than a month after the district closed 15 of the 17 elementary school playgrounds, Inman said questions still remain unanswered: how they were allowed to deteriorate to that point and how much it will cost to reopen them and where that money will come from.
"I believe it's important that we identify the root cause of this problem in order to prevent it from ever happening again," she said. "It's also important for this community to know where their tax dollars for this maintenance went since the money was clearly not spent on the playgrounds as it should have been."
The township, which for years inspected and maintained the school playgrounds, completed a final round of inspections last September before the responsibility transitioned to the district.
But equally concerning for Inman are the municipal playgrounds, where similar hazardous conditions have been reported by residents. She called on the mayor to hire an independent inspector to check out the safety of the equipment and parks.
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"We know that the same problems that closed our school district playgrounds plague most of our municipal playgrounds," she said. "The only difference is that the school district closed their playgrounds until safety code requirements could be satisfied and the township did not."
Inman is offering two solutions.
First, rally community support from residents, church groups and businesses that could work together to quickly resolve the inadequate surface issues at the schools.
And second, solicit corporate sponsorships for both the district and township to help defray the costs of repairing existing facilities and creating new ones.
Inman, whose two children attend Robinson, said she initially explored the idea as a way to bring back middle school sports programs, but said the playgrounds have since become more of a priority.
The playground at Robinson Elementary School in Hamilton is closed off by orange snow fencing. "We have to be bold and audacious in our goals or this problem will linger -- and when the bill to fix it eventually comes, taxpayers will suffer right along with their children," she said.
Inman said playgrounds are essential for children like her 9-year-old son who has special needs and relies on organized play to get through the school day.
"They're allowed to run around the blacktop and have imaginative, creative play, but for him ... you have to put the idea in front of him so that he can exercise," she said.
Mayor Kelly Yaede, in an interview Wednesday, stood by the conditions of the municipal parks and the township's inspectors.
"The Hamilton municipal playgrounds have not needed to be closed because we have a long-term inspection maintenance program," she said.
Next year, for example, $175,000 will be spent to replace D'Arcy Park.
She said the township spends $100,000 a year on ongoing playground inspections and playgrounds, about $40,000 of which goes to the Fibar mulch.
Dave Carothers, director of public works, said in an e-mail that throughout the year, the township's certified inspectors perform inspections, make repairs and order and install parts. When priority 1 or 2 hazards are brought to their attention by residents or found during the biannual inspections, they are addressed immediately, Carothers said.
Priority 3 hazards, such as cracked rubberized coating, have a lower likelihood of causing harm to a child , but are still corrected in a timely manner, he said.
He noted that as part of the township's five-year playground plan, Kristopher and Cornflower playgrounds have been upgraded with new equipment and poured-in-place surfacing, which requires little to no maintenance.
Yaede dismissed Inman's proposals as unoriginal and said she is missing the fundamental issue that brought about the district's current situation.
The district, she said, needs to put an inspection maintenance program in place, allocate the necessary resources to fund the playgrounds and train staff to become certified inspectors.
"It's unfortunate for the children and residents of Hamilton Township that what my opponent leaves out is the amount of damage or wear and tear that a playground will realize quickly," she said. "It's unfortunate that she chose to politicize the issue."
Meanwhile, district officials have begun getting cost estimates as the inspection reports come in and plan to give top priority to reopening the playgrounds where only minor repairs are needed.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.
