SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/40933
are too many different scenarios to list and explain and is best left to the engineers/ar- chitects/designers that designs them, in the case where they are built in house keep in mind that if trails are to be ADA compliant the construction and maintenance should be designed around or with ADA regula- tions and laws in mind. Maintenance varies as much as the mate- rials that can be used to make the trails, and yet with all trails (unless true nature trails) some items of concern are removing any/all trash in a timely manner, eliminating, pre- venting or repairing issues such as pot holes, washouts from storms, fallen trees, branches, and other obstacles that can cause hazards to the users. If the trails are consid- ered ADA compliant then the maintenance may be increased depending on the materi- als used to construct the trails. Construction costs as well as mainte- nance costs vary greatly depending on what materials are used, readily available, and labor that is needed to construct them. PLAYGROUNDS From a single sliding board, a couple swings and maybe a homemade see saw most playgrounds are becoming small cities of intricate and elaborate sections that seem to have no end in sight. With most manu- facturers working with professionals to un- derstand how a child develops mentally, physically and socially the equipment has taken on new meaning and new looks. The playgrounds of today are unlike anything that the older generations ever remember, today's equipment has something for every- one and no one is left out, whether the child is an aspiring major league athlete, physically or mentally challenged or bound the equipment today speaks to all. The construction of these complex structures can be comprised of powder coated metals, recycled plastic lumber, wood, chain, rubber, and a multitude of miscellaneous other materials that make them fun to play on and fun to look at. Whether they are installed by professional, volunteers or those responsible for main- taining them it is most important to follow the manufacturer's instructions and under- stand the importance of safety guidelines when combining equipment. All construc- tion projects should be inspected by a certi- fied National Playground Safety Inspector (NPSI) prior to being used. In many cases the equipment manufacturer has at least one if not several staff members with NPSI certification who should be able to help with initial layout to prevent unforeseen costs if not properly installed. All installa- tions should be done in accordance with the most current CPSC and ASTM regulations and guidelines. The protective safety surfacing used in the fall zone of these systems is almost as broad as the configurations of the units, from stone, sand, wood chips, engineered wood fibers, chipped rubber, shredded rub- ber, safety matting, rolled matting, poured in place vinyl/rubber matting, and now syn- Continued on page 45 www.stma.org SportsTurf 19