Committee flags safety fixes — aims to preserve Mabel Willy Park merry‑go‑round if made safer

Parks staff told the committee the top safety concern at Mabel Willy Park is a sharp wooden border around the play area and overlapping use zones with nearby swings and the basketball court. Jillian, the parks staff member who presented the item, said removing the border and replacing sand with certified playground mulch would address fall‑zone requirements and could be done largely in house. “So lower end, we’d be looking at around $13, and then high end, we’d be looking at around $18 to do the playground surfacing replacement,” she said.

Committee members and community volunteers urged preserving the park’s older merry‑go‑round if it can be made safe. Holly, who said a volunteer group adopted the park, told the committee the merry‑go‑round has sentimental value: “There’s a quite a bit of sadness around the fact that the merry‑go‑round…is gonna be replaced,” she said, while also acknowledging safety concerns. Staff said retrofitting a speed‑limiting device is possible but would leave the city holding warranty and certification responsibility; if the city retrofits old equipment, “it wouldn’t be a certified piece of playground equipment,” Jillian said. The committee asked staff to return with prioritized scope, refined costs and, if useful, the park supervisor to answer technical questions.