Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede is offering her administration's help to school district officials after they indefinitely closed 15 playgrounds
HAMILTON -- Hamilton Mayor Kelly Yaede is offering her administration's help to school district officials after unsafe conditions prompted them to indefinitely close the playgrounds at 15 of the 17 elementary schools.
File photo of a playground "Although the maintenance of school district playgrounds is the responsibility of the school district ... our government is willing to provide assistance to your staff to make sure school playgrounds can be safely enjoyed by our community's children in the very near future," the mayor wrote in a letter Wednesday to Interim Superintendent Thomas Ficarra.
Over summer break, the playgrounds at the 17 elementary schools were inspected.
After the first report on Klockner Elementary School revealed hazardous conditions, a decision was made by the district and school board to close the remaining playgrounds of similar age and condition.
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The new playgrounds installed at University Heights and Wilson elementary schools last summer remain open, but the 15 others will remain closed until they are deemed safe by the report or repairs are made to bring them back into compliance, Ficarra wrote in a letter to parents.
The inspection report for Greenwood Elementary School identified similar hazardous conditions to Klockner, while the University Heights report received on Tuesday confirmed the safety of the new equipment, he said.
The district expects to have the other reports by the end of the month.
"At that time, the district will have full knowledge and understanding of the scope of the problems and will be able to finalize a plan to address the situation," Ficarra wrote.
Yaede offered to have the township's public works department review the report to see if there are any specific ways that Hamilton would be able to help the district.
"As you know, the municipal government continues to offer support to the school district through the assistance of municipal employees and specialized equipment, when requested," Yaede wrote.
The township had previously maintained the school's playgrounds but in 2012, it received a letter from the district's insurance provider that any equipment installation should be performed by the manufacturer, distributor or approved contractor.
Following that letter, the township and district mutually agreed that the district would maintain the equipment, Yaede said. The formal agreement, she noted, is still awaiting the approval of the school board.
Cristina Rojas may be reached at crojas@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @CristinaRojasTT. Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.