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Troy park commissioners push to fund 100% ADA surfacing at Duke Park playground
Summary
Park commissioners discussed grant shortfalls and local budget constraints for Duke Park’s new playground, urged pursuing additional funding and potential city appropriation to install 100% ADA-accessible safety surfacing instead of wood fiber mulch.
Troy park commissioners on Oct. 7 discussed next steps for the Duke Park playground after staff said the department received only a portion of expected grant funding and ordered playground equipment that is already delivered and awaiting installation.
The topic matters because park staff told the board the choice between wood fiber mulch and a safety surfacing such as synthetic turf will determine whether the new playground is 100% ADA-accessible. Commissioners said they want to pursue additional funding and, if needed, ask city council for an appropriation to finish the installation to the higher accessibility standard.
Parks staff member Jeremy Drake said the department "received a third of what we'd asked for on the Upper Valley premier health grant," and that the parks project team has pursued additional funding from the Duke Foundation to make up the difference. Drake said playground equipment had already been delivered in June and is currently stored on site awaiting installation.
Drake explained the budget context: the parks department requested $250,000 in last year’s budget to purchase playground equipment; staff said a full safety surfacing solution would have raised the project cost substantially. "Safety surfacing almost doubled the cost of the project," Drake said, and the department moved ahead within the $250,000 budget, ordered equipment and put the project on hold pending the outcome of grant applications.
Commissioner Emerick pressed the board not to default to wood fiber mulch if additional funds are available. "I'm not going to just sit here and accept that we're gonna have this brand new piece of equipment ... and not do it correctly," Emerick said, urging a joint approach to city council if grant funding is insufficient.
Drake clarified the municipal approvals and next steps: any additional appropriation "would definitely have to go through our service and safety director and then ultimately through council for a reappropriation," he said. He also said installation is planned to begin as weather allows, with contractors ready to start in November if conditions permit.
Commissioners and staff also framed the decision inside a broader parks master plan and a separate, larger community park project discussed in the meeting’s budget planning. Commissioners reiterated that they want the community-park upgrades to be planned as transformational improvements rather than like-for-like replacements, and that community park budgeting is a separate line item in the city’s 2026 placeholder budget.
No formal motion or vote was recorded on changing the Duke Park surfacing at the Oct. 7 meeting; the discussion produced direction for commissioners and staff to pursue grant opportunities and to consider a request to city council if outside funding does not cover the higher-cost surfacing.
The playground vendor was identified as Landscape Structures, and staff said the installed equipment will meet a baseline ADA-compliant standard with wood fiber mulch but would reach the highest level of accessibility only with safety surfacing such as turf or poured-in-place material if funding is secured.
The board expects to revisit the item after the end-of-month grant award decisions and after budget discussions with the service and safety director and city council.
