Brackenridge playground surface could get $100,000 revamp

The slide at Brackenridge Memorial Park will have a softer landing if the state approves a grant to redo the playground surface.

Council is seeking nearly $100,000 through the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

Borough Engineer Gordon Taylor said that money would pay for a soft rubber pad to replace the playground’s wood chips.

It would cover an area of about 2,500 square feet at the park along First Avenue.

The project is expected to boost safety and cut down on costs associated with the current surface, Taylor said.

“The wood chips are kind of high maintenance,” he said. “They get kicked out and become uneven.”

Mayor Lindsay Fraser said the padding would resemble the surface at the playground in neighboring Riverview Memorial Park in Tarentum.

The park revamp is part of a “larger effort to promote the recreational value of our riverfront park,” Fraser said.

Taylor said the new surface isn’t the only feature that might change at the park.

Council also is hoping to cut down seven trees that surround the park to open up the area, he said.

The DCNR grant was submitted earlier this month, and Gordon expects to hear later this year whether it‘s approved.

If the grant comes through, work at the park could be completed early next year, Gordon said.