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Sturgis staff detail safety fixes, temporary closure and 2027 rebuild recommendation for Trojan Timbers playground
Summary
Parks staff presented CPSI/ASTM inspection findings that flagged structural and surfacing hazards at multiple parks, described immediate repairs and a short closure, and recommended prioritizing Trojan Timbers for a 2027 rebuild funded by grants and local fundraising.
Sturgis parks staff told the city commission they found widespread safety and surfacing problems at city playgrounds and outlined immediate fixes and a longer‑term plan to redevelop the community’s Trojan Timbers play structure.
Jake, a parks staff member who led the inspection briefing, said the reviews used CPSI (Certified Playground Safety Inspector) protocols and ASTM standards and flagged platform‑height and entrapment concerns. “Everything’s based off of ASTM standards,” he said, and “you need about a foot and a half, 15 inches of fall protection” in many areas, a depth the team found was not present across several parks.
Officials said crews have removed two merry‑go‑rounds at Langrick and Memorial parks to replace bearings and planned a short closure at the Trojan Timbers site so crews can complete immediate safety repairs. Jake told commissioners his team hopes to take the playground out of service for about two weeks to address low‑cost “low hanging fruit” items such as loose hardware and to board up hazardous accesses while longer solutions are developed.
On longer timelines, staff recommended moving forward with a community‑focused replacement of Trojan Timbers as one of the city’s next major capital projects. A staff member said the city is targeting spring 2027 for a rebuild timing that depends on design, fundraising and grant timing: “you have to have everything in by April to apply for [the recreation passport] grant; they don’t award it until December,” staff said.
Commissioners and residents emphasized community attachment to the original volunteer‑built structure and discussed ways to preserve nonplay elements such as the entrance while meeting modern safety rules. Staff acknowledged modern ASTM standards limit volunteer assembly of structural elements and said future community involvement will likely focus on fundraising and design input rather than hands‑on construction.
Cost tradeoffs were raised: Jake provided order‑of‑magnitude figures for surfacing options, noting pour‑in‑place rubber surfacing runs roughly “around 22 to $25 a square foot” while engineered wood fiber is priced by yard and “is, right around $30 a yard.” Commissioners discussed accessibility, longevity and ongoing maintenance costs as they weighed whether to continue with engineered wood fiber or move to rubber surfacing for future installations.
Next steps: staff will pursue short‑term safety fixes, schedule the brief closure and continue design work and fundraising for a targeted 2027 reconstruction, and will report back to the commission as grant and design milestones are reached.
