Village neighbor,
Since the beginning, the Thornapple Association Board has been committed to maintaining the safest environment in which our children can play. Each year the park equipment undergoes the National Playground Safety Inspection (NPSI). The 5-12-year-old play unit has served the youth of this community for 25+ years. However, the 2019 NPSI safety inspection revealed that critical components on the 5-12-year-old unit, the slides and three of the four decks, were reaching their end of life.
The Challenge: Replacement components with the exact configuration and footprint are no longer available and because of the way the unit was installed, removal would also involve the destruction of 45% of the safety surface.
At the 2019 annual meeting, the board presented this matter to the community and solicited input from homeowners. Some homeowners advocated complete removal, while others were proponents of replacement.
After consulting with industry professionals and considering the sizeable expense of demolition, the decision was made to preserve the viable components and repurpose others with minimal damage to the safety surface. The overhead climbing unit was preserved, and posts were repurposed to incorporate activity panels. The activity panels offer fun to all ages especially parents and grandparents with young children.
So, join your children at the park for a game of “What to Wear”, “Weather Game”, “Matching Game”, “Store Front Play”, and “Tic-Tac-Toe”. Remember, the greatest deterrent to park mischief is adult supervision.
Have fun and be safe!
Sincerely,
The Thornapple Association, Inc.
Board of Directors
