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Albany staff recommend ForeverLawn surfacing and cooperative purchase for Deerfield playground; council to consider Wednesday
Summary
Parks staff proposed buying playground equipment through a purchasing cooperative and recommended ForeverLawn artificial turf (with in‑house repair) over pour‑in‑place rubber, citing lower maintenance and a 15‑year warranty; council will vote on entering the cooperative at its Feb. 12 meeting.
Kim Ladeyn, parks director, told the City Council on Feb. 10 that staff plan to buy playground equipment and surfacing for Deerfield Park via a purchasing cooperative (NPP) and recommended an artificial turf product (ForeverLawn) for surfacing.
"My recommendation is to go with the Forever Lawn," Ladeyn said during the presentation, and staff included cost and warranty comparisons in the council packet.
The nut graf: The proposal covers equipment, surfacing and installation. Staff favor ForeverLawn for lower maintenance, on‑site repairability and a 15‑year warranty; councilors discussed health and environmental tradeoffs between the turf and a traditional pour‑in‑place rubber surfacing that uses recycled tire crumb.
Parks presented two surfacing options: an artificial playground turf (ForeverLawn) with a 15‑year warranty and antimicrobial properties, and a pour‑in‑place rubber surface with a seven‑year warranty and periodic top‑layer recap. Ladeyn said the ForeverLawn option can be patched in‑house and is made from polypropylene/polyethylene backing and quartz sand infill; the quote in the packet included installation and put the turf option at an estimated maximum of roughly $177,000. The pour‑in‑place option was quoted at about $187,938 and generally must be repaired by the installer.
Ladeyn described environmental and safety tradeoffs: the turf product uses recycled materials and an antimicrobial sand infill, and staff said it is PFAS‑free and cooler in shade than some alternatives; pour‑in‑place uses recycled tire crumb in its base and carries a manufacturer recommendation to avoid mouth contact and to wash hands after use. Councilors asked about routine maintenance; Ladeyn said turf requires periodic infill topping and raking at annual or semiannual intervals, while pour‑in‑place mainly requires keeping the surface free of leaves and monitoring for damage.
Council discussion included cost and repairability. Councilor Smith said the ForeverLawn option "fits in with the character of the park" and praised the longer warranty and the ability to repair in house. Councilor Montague noted pour‑in‑place costs are less flexible because installation must be done by the vendor, while the turf installation price may be lowered by competitive bids for local installation. Staff noted lead times on equipment of 12–16 weeks and said ordering now would target a late‑summer or early‑fall opening.
Staff will return to the council on Wednesday, Feb. 12 (regular council meeting) with a resolution to enter the cooperative purchasing contract and with the recommended option. Ladeyn said she would "purchase ForeverLawn as opposed to the pour in play" if council approves the cooperative contract and accepts staff’s recommendation.
Ending: Staff said they are soliciting contractor installation bids and will finalize the procurement path at the council meeting; if approved, equipment will be ordered to meet estimated lead times so installation can occur this summer or early fall.
