Troup County staff recommend accepting Play South quote for inclusive Weitzel Road playground

Lance Dennis, a county parks official, told the board the playground project is funded by a competitive $700,000 DNR grant and that Play South submitted a construction quote of $579,394.40 under the state Select Source contract. "Play South has put together a proposal and a quote for $579,394.40," Dennis said, and the purchase would include a government discount and Build‑America materials required by the grant.

Dennis said the county plans to do concrete, fencing and landscaping work in‑house while subcontracting specialty trades to stay under the grant total. He gave a materials lead time of 12–15 weeks and said, if procurement proceeds on schedule, the playground could be ready "probably end of February." He also said restrooms in the adjacent gymnasium, abundant parking, lighting and camera security were part of the site plan to support accessibility and safety.

Commissioners asked several design and amenity questions. On water access, board members and staff discussed mounting an outdoor bottle‑filler unit on an existing porch fed by internal plumbing; Jay Anderson noted a porch adjacent to the playground area has water available inside the building. On safety and longevity, Dennis said the playing surface will be poured rubber over compacted base material and that components carry individual warranties (slides, poles, surfacing) with routine resurfacing similar to other county recreational surfaces.

The Parks and Recreation recommendation will come back for formal action at the evening meeting; at the work session Dennis asked the board to authorize accepting the Play South quote and signing a contract to begin site work and material procurement.