After a special meeting on June 23, the Oxford Village park and rec committee supported a motion to seek approval from the village counsel for the purchase of playground equipment for Scripter Park not to exceed $25,000.
The committee decided to move forward with the motion after listening to a presentation from Tim Doyle, a designer with Engan, Tooley, Doyle & Associates in Okemos, and reviewing four different playground design options he designed for the village.
‘I have created four different looks here at the $100,000 cost we spoke of earlier,? said Doyle. ‘Now I understand that we are cut back to $25,000, but I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel and felt that you could find the style you like from these.?
‘I can then show you how we can pair them down into multiple phases.?
The different design plans ranged from a blue structure with aquatic theme to a large tree house structure with separate tot equipment to a ‘pod-like? structure utilizing a ‘big timber? look. Members of the committee voiced approval for the ‘pod-like? structure, for ages 5-12, that incorporates some activities for the younger 2-5 age level.
The ‘big timber? look, similar to that in Kid’s Kingdom, was also appealing to committee members.
‘I think the people that live in that area would be pleased with the appearance of this,? said Sue Bossardet.
After deciding on a design, the committee discussed several ways the village could find funding for the different phases of the playground project. One member suggested trying again for more grants. Village Manager Mark Sloan suggested allowing local companies and individual to ‘purchase? pieces of the equipment.
‘Maybe we could have a plan where people adopt a park piece,? he explained. ‘We could put up a wall or something to honor them.?
Another suggestion for trimming the cost was getting materials donated, such as the wood chips for the safety surface. Doyle also suggested that the village may want to wait on laying down the timber boarded until all phases of construction are complete.
‘That would mean dealing with the kids kicking the wood chips into the grass for a year or so, but you would save money in not having to lay, tear up and relay the timber,? he explained.
The committee agreed that doing the new playground in phases would be beneficial and allow for time to arrange additional funding. Also, the latest in new equipment can be incorporated that way.
The committee members asked Doyle to return with some final options utilizing the chosen ‘pod-like? design. All of the designs will use the lowest platform available, as well as a central platform which can be built out from in future phases. The designs will then include different options for equipment that can be added within cost.
‘We can always go back to the council and ask for a little more if it’s only $1,000 over or so,? said Sloan.
The village council reviewed the recommendation of the park and rec committee at its regular meeting last night. A motion was passed to purchase equipment for up to $25,000 and bring any amount over back to the council for consideration.