Mayor tours South Jordan parks, highlights splash pad safety, tree care, irrigation and playground inspections

Mayor (unnamed in transcript) toured South Jordan parks with parks division staff, visiting the splash pad, Holt Farmstead and athletic and playground facilities to observe maintenance and public-safety practices.

The Mayor began at the city splash pad, describing it as a long-term project that "took us about 4 years" to complete and praising it as a free family amenity. Parks staff demonstrated daily safety checks — monitoring pH, chlorine and tank walls — and showed how they shut down pumps and open filters for maintenance. Staff and the Mayor removed a filter lid and found a notable amount of trash in the pump pit; the Mayor remarked there was "about 10 pounds of garbage," and staff said they would clean and replace the spare component.

Why this matters: the splash pad is a high-use, water- and safety-sensitive amenity. Parks staff emphasized its drought-friendly design and routine chemical and equipment checks are intended to keep the feature safe for children and families.

Staff also explained turf damage near the splash pad, attributing dying grass to plastic-lined tarps and blankets left on turf. Parks staff advised that ordinary blankets and towels are acceptable but plastic-lined coverings can suffocate grass and lead to brown patches. Staff asked residents to report maintenance issues rather than posting on social media, so crews can respond directly.

At Holt Farmstead, the Mayor joined arborists who described the city's urban-forest program: staff said South Jordan has been recognized as a Tree City for 14 years and manages about 8,500 trees. Crews demonstrated aerial work with harnesses and safe chainsaw use to remove crossing branches that damage vascular tissue; removed branches were fed through a chipper and recycled as wood chips used across the city's parks.

An office staff member who identified herself as Ruthie said she had received a resident call reporting sprinklers stuck on near the football fields; parks crews committed to respond immediately. During the tour staff gave a sense of irrigation scale: they said this area includes roughly 108 valves to maintain and that a single 68-acre park can include more than 300 valves. Staff requested residents call to report overwatering outside the city's watering window (staff stated "nothing really should be watering after 11 a.m." with watering allowed until about 8 p.m.), so crews can diagnose stuck valves or diaphragm problems.

Staff demonstrated a line-marking robot that reduced a multi-day field-painting task to one operator. The Mayor tried field-dragging and painting; staff explained youth base distance from home to first is 60 feet, with different settings for adult leagues. Parks staff said reusing chipper-produced wood chips from tree work helps sustain other parks' surfaces.

Playground inspectors walked the Mayor through their monthly inspection routine, describing the search for priority-1 hazards such as entrapment or loose bolts. Staff said every playground receives at least a monthly check and that playground inspectors must hold a certified playground safety inspector license to perform formal inspections. Staff also pointed out an identified protruding bolt that will be fixed and a wasp nest in a roofline scheduled for removal. To conclude the inspection, staff invited the Mayor to do the customary slide test — "if it's safe for you, it's safe for the kids" — to demonstrate functionality and surface safety.

What’s next: Parks staff said they will clean the splash pad filter pit, replace the spare lid and respond to the reported stuck sprinkler at the football fields. They also plan to address the identified playground hazard and remove the wasp nest.

The tour closed after the slide test and remaining routine checks; staff thanked the Mayor for visiting and the Mayor thanked crews for their work.