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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />I Meeting Date: January 23, 2007 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. 5 • L) <br />SUBJECT: Fairview Park Playground Replacement <br />DEPARTMENT: Recreation and Parks PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />ATTACHMENT (S): INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />1) Playground photographs Lori Taft, 245-2660 <br />2) Fairview Park development timeline David Stancil, 245-2590 <br />3) Fairview Park Master Plan <br />PURPOSE: To provide the Board with an update of the current conditions at Fairview Park and <br />options for the replacement of the play structure. <br />BACKGROUND: In December of 2006, Parks Division certified playground safety inspectors <br />determined that the main structure at Fairview Park was too far out of compliance with <br />applicable regulations to allow it to remain in place. Each of the non-compliance issues noted <br />represented safety concerns for playground users. They included: Head entrapments, <br />pinch/crush/shear points, entanglement issues and protrusions. In addition, the support <br />columns were rotting, safety and fall zones were not within code requirements and the structure <br />was not ADA compliant. Recreation and Parks staff removed the structure at that time. <br />Remaining elements in the playground include relatively new toddler swings and two spring <br />toys. (See photographs) <br />The Fairview Park Master Plan was approved by the BOCC and the Town of Hillsborough in <br />recent months and includes a new, replacement play structure in the same area. It would be <br />possible to move forward immediately with this portion of the overall park development project. <br />Alternatively, installation of the new playground could be delayed to be completed concurrent <br />with the remainder of the development project (see timeline). If approval is given for immediate <br />replacement, the project could be completed by late spring. Town of Hillsborough staff has <br />been apprised of the nature of this request and have raised no concern with the options <br />available at this point. <br />The larger park project is underway with a Request for Proposals for engineering design and the <br />creation of construction/bid documents currently being prepared. The timetable calls for a <br />contract award to come before the Board this spring. The engineering work and site plan could <br />be completed, and ready for board approval as early as this summer. Construction <br />drawings/construction bid documents would then be developed with bids solicited next winter. <br />Park construction could begin by May of 2008. <br />