'Dangerous' playground equipment removed from Lower Burrell park

Dangerous playground equipment at Lower Burrell’s Braeview Park has been removed.

The equipment, deemed dangerous by a certified playground inspector, was taken away by public works crews three weeks ago, said Greg Primm, city manager.

“As soon as someone tells us there’s a liability, we need to do something about that immediately,” Primm said.

While discussions about the future of the park in the city’s Braeburn Heights neighborhood haven’t yet produced a concrete plan, there has been no mention of not replacing the playground there, Primm said.

Among the issues with the old equipment were sharp, rusted edges and the jungle gym threatening to collapse, Primm said. The inspector also found tripping hazards, protruding bolts and piping worn away.

He estimated the equipment to be more than 25 years old.

Primm said the city has not fielded complaints from residents over the equipment’s removal.

The next steps for the park, Primm said, are city officials discussing replacement options. Factors being considered are this year’s remaining budget funds and pursuing grants to redevelop the park. The process will take time, Primm said.

“We want to make sure we have good funding sources identified,” he said.

Primm said it never has been the city’s intent not to replace equipment at Braeview. It’s yet to be determined what will come to Braeview.

Councilman Mike Stanoski, who oversees the city’s parks, agreed with the decision to take down the equipment because it did not pass inspection.

“If the playground’s not safe, you do have to take it down,” he said. “It’ll be something that we’ll implement for next year.”

Primm said he believes removing the unsafe equipment was the responsible thing to do because of the hazard it presented.

“It was more important to get the dangerous equipment out of there before any children got hurt,” he said.