PORT ANGELES — The playground at Shane Park is closed temporarily due to a tripping hazard, according to the Port Angeles Parks and Recreation Department.
It wasn’t known when the playground will be re-opened.
Some of the black rubber tiles that surround the playground at the park on G Street between Seventh and Eighth streets have shrunk due to changes in weather, said Corey Delikat, Port Angles Parks and Recreation director.
Children who are too short for some of the playground equipment have pulled up tiles and stacked them to gain access to those amenities, he said.
“It been a kind of weather thing where there’s shrinking and expanding of the tiles,” Delikat said. “We have tried to fill the gaps in between with other pieces of material, but they’re getting lifted out as well and we find them stacked up everywhere.”
“It’s just something we need to dial in and have a better solution so this doesn’t happen anymore,” he added.
Though the playground will be closed, other areas of the park remain open to the public.
“Staff are working with a playground company to resolve the issue and safely reopen the playground as quickly as possible,” the department posted on the city website at cityofpa.us on Wednesday.
“We want to get the playground back open as soon as possible, and we want to try and do it before the weather gets colder,” Delikat said.
Delikat said he didn’t know how much it will cost to replace the tiles.
“We basically got a hold of the company and said, this is how many tiles we need, what can you guys do to help up out with that as far as contracting it out because that would be the fastest way for us to do it,” he said.
Then city officials will consider the price tag and see if “we can do something in the meantime to help out with the cost. So really right now were just waiting on cost,” Delikat said.
In the meantime, the parks department recommends regular visitors to the Shane Park playground seek alternatives at Elks Playground on 14th Street or Crown Park on Fourth Street.
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at [email protected].
