Medical Lake to go out on bid for playground equipment

The city of Medical Lake is in the process of purchasing playground equipment for Pioneer Park, but it’s taking a little longer than expected.

During the April 21 City Council meeting, City Administrator Doug Ross informed council that the city initially budgeted $12,000 for the equipment, however it is expected to cost from $17,000-$18,000.

Ross said he is working with Parks and Recreation Director Ashlee King and they are researching the different state bids.

“We hope to get it ordered within the next 2 to 3 weeks,” Ross said. “Playground equipment is expensive.”

While most pieces of equipment cost $12,000, the city will pay an additional $4,000-$6,000 to have the company install it. Ross said having the company install the equipment, instead of staff, prevents liability to the city.

“That’s not to say that our staff couldn’t do it, but the company knows the equipment and knows how it should work,” Ross said. “It’s better to have the professionals install the equipment, especially when it is something that children will be using.”

The wooden playground equipment previously at Pioneer Park was vandalized in late 2014. Because of the equipment’s age and the model, the city could not repair it.

“You don’t see a lot of wooden playgrounds anymore,” Ross said. “A lot of the playgrounds that are made of wood are motifs and the equipment is made out of synthetic or recycled plastic lumber.”

In addition to playground equipment, the city recently installed a new sidewalk at Waterfront Park to make the area more ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) accessible. Ross added that the piece of equipment going in at Pioneer Park will also be ADA accessible.

“That’s one of the things we pride ourselves on,” Ross said. “When we look for equipment, we’ll make sure it’s something that anyone can use.”

Al Stover can be reached at al@cheneyfreepress.com.