The Cookeville City Council considered a major renovation to the Heart of the City Playground on Monday, with a proposal to repair and replace its surface.
Leisure Services Director Chad McDonald said the playground surface that protects children when they fall is over 10 years old and has started to crack in several places. McDonald said the city has made some patches, but it is time for a full resurface.
“Those patches are not permanent, and they look bad, and kids pull them up,” McDonald said. “There still is an underlayment of rubber there to keep the kids safe, but if you have been over there, you will notice, there is some pictures there, yeah, it’s pretty bad.”
McDonald said the project would install a synthetic “forever lawn” surface over the existing rubber base. McDonald said plans also include adding protective mats in high-traffic areas like swings and slides to extend the life of the surface.
“The best solution seems to be to install a forever lawn on top of that,” McDonald said. “You don’t have to put anything under the forever law because that’s already there. We have, of course, it’s a statewide contract for installation of that through recreational concept, and we’ve got some quotes there for the installation of that lawn.”
The price tag some $200,000.
McDonald said timing is critical for this project and would need approval soon, as the contractor has a tight schedule.
“It’s a four-week to five-week installation process, and if we wait until July 1st to approve that, we’ll have to wait till the spring to get on that, so if we want to do Labor Day when we want to close it the day after Labor Day for four weeks to get that fit in.”
The council asked if the new surface would be a cooler surface than the current one. McDonald said the new surface would likely be five to ten degrees cooler.
City Manager James Mills said city leaders are beginning to plan for long-term maintenance funding for the playground.
“This is probably by far the most utilized playground we have in the city,” Mills said.
In addition to the surface upgrade, recent improvements at the playground include a new climbing tower and repairs to swings and other equipment. McDonald said community groups are also planning fundraising efforts to support additional enhancements, such as signage and aesthetic improvements, as part of a broader refresh of the space.
The proposal will now move forward for formal consideration by the city council on Thursday night at the city hall, starting at 5:30pm.