Springdale citizens contacted 5NEWS about some unmaintained playground equipment they thought could pose a safety risk for children. Parks and recreation employees visited Grove Street Park Tuesday (July 9) to survey some of the issues.
"Safety is the top priority of what we try to do," said Rick McWhorter, parks and recreation director. "We want to make a nice facility, but it has to be safe," .
Jamie Pratt brings her three year-old daughter Shaunie to Grove Street Park often since they live just a few blocks away.
"The only thing that I noticed was a couple of pot holes and maybe some of those tables need to be fixed but other than that I haven't really noticed anything," Pratt said.
The same slide Shaunie was playing on had a plastic sharp edge that was sticking out and removed hours earlier.
"My maintenance supervisors were able to grind it and smooth it out," McWhorter said. "It's no hazard to the public or to the kids."
McWhorter said if the public sees an issue, to report it by calling the Parks Department at 479-750-8185.
"More eyes on the ground will make our parks prettier for a longer period of time," McWhorter said.
Jamie Pratt said she's glad the city is concerned for the kids' safety.
"She's actually old enough now, she can play on this by herself so that makes me feel pretty good," Pratt said.
All playground equipment must follow federal guidelines. There are six parks the city is in charge of maintaining.