Waterford district to fix playground hills at Beaumont and Donaldson Hills after safety concerns; cost estimated at $37,000
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Summary
Assistant Superintendent Hildebrandt told the Waterford School District board that playground mounds installed in 2024 at Beaumont and Donaldson Hills are not supporting grass, have become muddy and unsafe and will be leveled and replaced; district plans to use bond contingency funds for an estimated $37,000 in work.
Assistant Superintendent Hildebrandt said the Waterford School District will remove and regrade mound-style playground features at Beaumont and Donaldson Hills and replace a slide at Beaumont after students exposed structural elements and created deep holes in the soil.
Hildebrandt said, “Beaumont and Donaldson Hills were both renovated with new playgrounds in the 2024. Each of those sites have moundy hills that are just not conducive to grass growing…At Beaumont, there's actually a built in hillside slide…that slide originally from the bonded monies…was $5,017. …That slide…kids are digging in underneath that slide…exposing some of the bars underneath.”
The district estimates the preferred solution would be to remove the mounds, level the sites, seed or amend the soil and install a walk-up slide at Beaumont. “That walk up slide would be consortium priced at about $11,000. And the site work to level it down and to plant seed that could grow up and over this season is $26,500 for both sites inclusive,” Hildebrandt said. She summarized the total need as about $37,000.
Trustees pressed staff on whether the design or contractors could be held responsible. Member Donoghue asked whether the architect or oversight firm could be asked to take responsibility for the work and its cost. Hildebrandt said the playground equipment was procured through consortium pricing, the design was by French and Associates, and Barton Mallow provided construction oversight; she said the district has asked whether contractors will provide remedies but had not reported an agreement. “So we've looked at that…It is a design issue. It doesn't preclude me from continuing to push on that to look for some relief to the district,” Hildebrandt said.
Trustees and staff discussed alternatives such as engineered wood fiber, synthetic turf and other surfacing. Hildebrandt said engineered wood fiber would blow around on the slopes and synthetic turf was cost-prohibitive. She also told trustees the work would be covered from bond dollars and remaining contingency in the playground allocation. “No. It will come from the bond dollars. It's actually some of the contingency that was remaining,” Hildebrandt said.
Board members expressed frustration that recently completed bond-funded work is already producing unanticipated expenses. Member Donoghue and others said they would like the district to pursue conversations with legal counsel and the design firms about remedies. Hildebrandt said she would continue pursuing options and would keep the board informed.
The item was presented as an information item; no formal vote was taken. Hildebrandt said staff would bring back action or further recommendations when pricing and any contractor responses are finalized.
