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Commissioners review youth baseball storage contract and consider rubber playground surfacing
Summary
Staff recommended renewal of a storage lease for Mason County Youth Baseball Association and presented analysis on replacing wood chips with a rubber mulch or alternate surfacing; commissioners asked staff for comparative cost data and vendor research before decisions are made.
County parks staff asked the commission to renew a storage lease for the Mason County Youth Baseball Association and presented options to replace wood chips in playgrounds with longer-lasting rubber surfacing.
Why it matters: The storage contract provides local youth sports groups with space to store equipment; changes to playground surfacing would affect capital and maintenance budgets as well as safety and environmental performance at county parks.
Storage lease: Staff asked for renewal of an agreement that lets the Mason County Youth Baseball Association use approximately 12-by-24 feet of storage space at $1,658.88 per year. Staff said the proposed fee is essentially unchanged from the prior term. Commissioners asked for a comparative review of rental rates across facilities—specifically whether North Mason users are being charged the same as higher-amenity sites in Shelton and whether maintenance and user volumes justify any price differences.
Playground surfacing: Parks staff presented a cost-comparison showing that replacing wood chips with rubber mulch would have a higher upfront cost but a multi-year return on investment; staff estimated a 4.4-year payback on some sites and a usable life of about 12 years for the rubber product. Commissioners asked staff to include labor and replacement-cycle costs in the comparison (staff confirmed labor was included) and requested vendor and environmental information, including whether a spray-applied rubber surfacing used in other states could be suitable in Mason County’s wetter climate and whether local environmental/permeability rules would allow it.
Outcome and next steps: Commissioners asked staff to return with comparative rate data for field rentals and storage across parks, and to research vendors and environmental/permitting constraints for rubber mulch and spray surfacing options. No contract renewals or capital purchases were approved at the meeting.
Ending: Staff will prepare a comparative analysis of rental rates for the board and gather vendor quotes and permitting guidance before the county decides on surfacing investments.
