BREA : Installation of Play Equipment Stalled

Plans to install new playground equipment in several city parks has been stalled as officials work to comply with new state-mandated handicap access laws.

Woodcrest, Tamarack, Junior High and Country Hills parks were slated to get the new equipment in February, but the laws requiring the city to make the area accessible to the handicapped has pushed back the installation date, said maintenance supervisor Pat McCarron.

“We had to put everything on hold. . . . There are some criteria that we have to meet and we certainly intend to meet them,” he said.

Because of years of high use and exposure to various weather conditions, the wooden park equipment has deteriorated and is no longer considered safe. Although replacements will not be installed immediately, the city is going ahead with the removal of the unsafe devices, McCarron said.

McCarron said the city is currently considering ways to meet the state law requirements, and he is not sure how long it will take before the project is completed.