February 2022 - Parks & Recreation - 14

WE ARE PARKS AND RECREATION
Lessons Learned From Settlement Regarding
Accessible Playground Surfacing
By Antonio Malkusak, PLA, CPSI
hat is the best surfacing for playgrounds? This is one of the
commonly asked questions that I and my fellow Certified
Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) training instructors get.
Unfortunately, there is no one best answer. Many factors
contribute to making the best selection for each situation, including cost (initial
vs. long term), height of the equipment, installation, maintenance and
accessibility. The more we know, the better decision we can make.
In June 2020, the Department of
Justice (DOJ) entered into a settlement
agreement with the Iowa City
(Iowa) Community School District
(ICCSD). The issue centered
around a complaint that claimed
the surfacing system installed and
maintained by the ICCSD did
not meet the requirements of the
Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA). A DOJ investigation revealed
every ICCSD school did
not satisfy the ADA requirements
for their surface systems.
DOJ found issues with both
unitary - rubber tiles, pouredin-place
(PIP) rubber, artificial
turf - and loose-fill - engineered
wood fiber (EWF). However,
the settlement agreement
clearly does not state any of these
surface types are unacceptable
for ADA compliance.
To meet the requirements of the
ADA standards, a surface system
within the play area must be firm
and stable. This means the surface
system allows a user to propel
themselves and be able to turn using
the same amount of work as if
they were propelling and turning
themselves on a hard surface slope
of 1:14 (or 7.1 percent). Another
element of accessibility is removing
any barriers on the accessible
route to, into and through a
play area. A barrier is any abrupt
change in elevation greater than
half of an inch.
There are several lessons from
the DOJ Settlement Agreement
with the ICCSD that can help us
meet the ADA standard.
EWF, rubber tiles, PIP rubber,
rubber mulch and artificial turfgrass
can be acceptable accessible
surfaces. However, installation,
regular inspections and frequent
maintenance are key to sustaining
the surfaces as accessible. The International
Playground Equipment
Manufacturers Association Voice
of Play has an excellent guide on
best
practices
for
installing and
maintaining playground surfaces
(tinyurl.com/yc2rdps7).
Perform your due diligence on
design, specifications and installation
for surface systems. Ensure the
design intent is carried out through
installation. Anticipate where issues
can happen and be proactive
through the entire process. It will
be nearly impossible for one to sustain
an ADA-compliant surface if
the initial installation fails to meet
the requirements.
Train maintenance personnel
14 Parks & Recreation | FEBR U AR Y 2 0 22 | PARK S ANDRECRE AT ION . OR G
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how to sustain ADA compliance
with the appropriate techniques
and tools. Once a playground is
opened and in use, inspecting and
maintaining the surface system are
vital to an ADA-compliant play
area. Regularly inspect the play
area to identify the surface depth,
changes
in condition and other
potential issues. With loose-fill
surfaces, check the transition areas,
kick-out areas, and access and
egress areas where surfacing can
be easily displaced. For unitary
surfaces, check for debris, loose
objects and separation or seams
splitting apart.
Another piece of the training is
communication. What is the process
when something is damaged
or needs attention? To sustain
ADA-compliant surfacing, it is important
to know who is responsible
and what appropriate corrective
action to take if an issue arises.
Contact the manufacturer's representative
for best maintenance
and repairs for
their surfacing
systems. Play-area owners should
avoid making repairs or changes to
the surface without consent from
the manufacturers to safeguard
from voiding the product warranty.
With proper care and attention to
the details, park and recreation agencies
can bring out the best attributes
in any accessible surfacing systems
for their playground areas.
Antonio Malkusak, PLA, CPSI, is
President and Landscape Architect at
Abundant Playscapes, Inc. (antonio@
abundantplayscapes.com).
http://www.tinyurl.com/yc2rdps7
February 2022 - Parks & Recreation

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