Featured Story
Terra Linda playground rebuilt only two months after arson
08/22/2012
Toddlers, rejoice!
Less than two months after a play structure at THPRD’s Terra Linda Park was burned to the ground by arsonists, the structure has been replaced with new equipment.
The quick turnaround time was remarkable, said Capital Project Manager Jerry Burgess.
“I’ve never seen anything come together quite this quickly,” Burgess said after the Aug. 17 opening of the new structure. “Our vendor and contractor were sensitive to the situation, and they stepped in to manufacture and install the structure much faster than I thought it could be done.”
The fire, on the morning of June 18, completely destroyed a stand-alone section of the play area designed for kids ages 2-5.
By the end of the next day, Burgess said, debris and concrete footings were removed and surfacing material replaced by North District Maintenance Supervisor Scott Bernards and his crew. Since other play equipment at the site was untouched by the fire, the play area reopened that day, Burgess said.
Burgess quickly reached out to equipment vendor ROSS Recreation Inc. They collaborated with play equipment manufacturer Landscape Structures Inc. to build and deliver comparable replacement equipment in just two weeks.
“To their credit, they have an infrastructure in place to respond to situations like this one,” Burgess said. “They were able to deliver the equipment about 4-5 weeks earlier than an order of this size might normally take.”
The final step, Burgess said, was installation.
Precision Recreation Contractors, Inc. installed the new equipment in just one day. By the end of the following day, clean up was completed and a successful safety inspection was completed by Burgess and Nancy Agnesse.
Terra Linda neighbors can now resume enjoyment of the complete play area with no visible signs of what Burgess believes was the fourth arson at THPRD parks in his 33 years … and hopefully the last.
“It’s a good feeling to be able to respond this quickly to an unfortunate circumstance,” Burgess said.
The project was completed at a cost of just over $18,000, which was covered by insurance.
