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Avon Park council authorizes mulch, retaining wall and safety fixes after playground inspection
Summary
Following a certified safety inspection that found multiple noncompliant playground items and missing safety surfacing, Avon Park authorized the city manager to buy engineered wood‑fiber mulch for four parks and to build a retaining wall at Donaldson Park; two pieces of equipment were removed for severe rust.
The Avon Park City Council on June 23 authorized the city manager to purchase engineered wood fiber mulch for four parks and to construct a retaining wall at Donaldson Park after a certified playground safety inspection found several noncompliant items.
Miss Denise, the certified playground safety inspector, told the council that two pieces of equipment were removed—one at Donaldson Park and a swing at Dura Martin Park—because metal supports were severely rusted. She said she could push a screwdriver through the supporting posts. Staff presented cost estimates for remediation, said some short‑term closures were required and noted availability of approximately $55,000 in a parking‑lot rehabilitation account that could be reallocated.
Council members discussed prioritizing surface repairs before installing replacement equipment. Staff recommended engineered wood fiber as the compliant surface; one vendor quote for mulch and work at Dura Martin was cited at $7,500 for two semi‑trucks of engineered wood fiber. The council authorized the manager to buy mulch for all four parks and to build the necessary wall at Donaldson Park; council will revisit equipment replacement after the safety surfacing and wall are addressed.
The motion to authorize the purchase and wall construction passed unanimously on a roll call.
