TITLE
The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and possibly take action on approving a contract with Flexground, Inc. for City of Maricopa playground resurfacing in an amount not to exceed $77,509 in compliance with City of Maricopa Purchasing Code, Article IV, Section 3-215 and approve a budgetary transfer of $77,509 from General Fund, Contingency (10010000-99000) to General Fund, Park Maintenance, Improvements Other Than Buildings (10033132-67730). Discussion and Action.
AGENDA ITEM DESCRIPTION
The City Council has shown strong commitment to improving the quality of life for Maricopa residents. The playground at Pacana Park is in need of improvement. It currently has 15% of poured in place (PIP) rubberized material, while 95% is loose sand material. Last year, the topic of making improvements to the playground was discussed.
The disadvantage of having loose material include: a constant challenge to maintain; increased safety concerns; and difficulty meeting safety standards. As a result of the high usage of the playground, the loose material is constantly shifting due to children digging and shuffling their feet. The result is worn spots with little sand, as well as mounds of sand in other areas. This makes it difficult to maintain the surface to the standards required by ASTM F 1292-04 (Impact Attenuation of Surface Systems under and around playground equipment).
Another disadvantage is the lack of opportunity for the City's special needs community; they are unable to roll their wheel chairs through the sand as it is today. Every week, a special needs groups visits Pacana Park and those in wheel chairs cannot enjoy the playground in its entirety because it is too difficult to wheel through sand. In addition, loose material can hide various dangers such as nails, animal excrement and glass, which can cause injury.
Approval to have the poured-in-place PIP rubberized material installed in the playground will allow the City to meet the ASTM 1292-04, including for children leaping from as high as 10 feet (compared to 4 feet with loose material) and without requiring daily maintenance. The playground will be inclusive and meet ADA standards enabling us to better serve all those in our community. It will also eliminate ongoing maintenance costs from the city budget. PIP has a life expectancy of ten years; the current PIP has lasted six years thus far. This PIP material is used most often in parks and is found in many nearby cities.
This project was approved as part of the FY 11-12 City CIP, however, due to an oversight, the funding for this project was not allocated in the City's budget for FY11-12 therefore contingency funds will have to be utilized. In future fiscal years, with the City's changes to the CIP budget procedure, oversights such as this will not occur again.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends approval of a contract with FlexGround, LLC for the City of Maricopa playground resurfacing transfer, including a transfer of $77,509 from Contingency (10010000-99000) to Park Maintenance, Improvements Other Than Buildings (10033132-67730).