At a meeting of the Red Bluff Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission, commissioners voted to recommend that the Red Bluff City Council accept a donated playground structure for Trainer Park and authorize related actions to install it.

The commission recommended the council accept a donated play structure from local service clubs, that $30,000 be designated to fund installation with any unused funds to pay for fall-protection ground material, that the council waive building and development fees for the project, and that the public works director coordinate construction and sign required documents. Commissioners also recommended staff remove the old structure and replace or replenish bark as needed.

The donation was described by a Rotary representative as a multi-club effort. “We were able to get a $15,000 grant from Rotary International,” the Rotary representative said, and the speaker listed additional contributions from Sunrise Rotary, Kiwanis and other service groups collected toward installation and a maintenance fund.

Scott Miller, identified in the meeting as the public works director, said staff could remove the existing structure and manage some site-preparation tasks but that the play structure itself must be installed by a licensed, certified contractor because municipal play equipment requires inspection and certification. “Staff wouldn't be able to do that,” Miller said, referring to the certified installation requirement.

Commissioners discussed volunteer labor and fundraising already raised by the service clubs and noted that several clubs offered volunteer manpower for site preparation, but that certification requirements limit who may perform the final installation. One commissioner who moved the recommendation said contractors have been contacted for installation estimates in case staff is unavailable.

The commission approved the recommendation by voice vote and will forward the package to the City Council for final action. The commission’s vote is a recommendation; City Council approval is required before contracts or fee waivers take effect.

Implementation details the commission recorded include: directing the public works director to coordinate construction and sign necessary documents, requiring installation by a licensed contractor, using donated funds for installation and fall-protection material, and having staff remove the existing play structure and preserve or replace playground surfacing.