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ity is another factor considered 7 f . z x e 'esigning a playground. "We try •nbat vandalism with the careful tion of playground products," e is O your axpa ers. reit says. "Certain products are ,re vandal-resistant than others."tr Hydra-Pole° higti rtiast,.., � h+ • The Philadelphia Parks Department � Y4 Norks with its maintenancestaff in ik a evaluating playground materials. "We S 100 �0 foolproof a E . 1 s rely heavily on input from mainte ' • nance," says Stanley Carroll, director `'-..fI of parks planning and construction for the city. "We're trying to meet our long-term maintenance goals while buy- ing equipment that is both functional and safe." For instance, the city does not use any equipment made of wood or plastic but does use a composite mate- rial on circular slides. "A stainless-steel circular slide comes in sections and therefore would have seams. Over time, ;' these seams could wear and become torn," he says. Parrett fears since synthetic materials are made in sheets or blocks, the bonds connecting the seams will break and the '4 it surface will rip. He also is concerned 11 9 ` foreign objects, such as broken glass, s' t '. will wind up in mulches. Graffiti has - ! ,: been reduced successfully with new anti- � r graffiti coatings, although Parrett says r , .I^ these coatings could destroy masonry + { ' products by "sealing" the building, T •Ate' iit _ — eliminating breathing. _ According to Steve Atkins, sales en- q P gineering manager for Miracle E ui - t ' ' • ment, Grinnel, Iowa, modular play- • ground decks are growing in popular- ity. The units come in different sizes and can be constructed with a variety of slides, stairways and climbing poles. This man is lowering a 105-foot Hydra-Pole to ground level for relamping of masthead luminaires. Safety Information He'll do the job in mere minutes and go on to the next Hydra-Pole down the road, and the next... The Consumer Product Safety Commission has been studying pub- lic playground equipment in an ef- He's doing it with a Hydra-Lift, 4 fort to reduce the number of inju- a mobile hydraulic ram unit that iill ries. The commission first became Nis-goes along with him. The Hydra- involved with playground safety in • 1974, when a consumer petitioned to Pole itself contains no machinery, �`;' develop mandatory safety standards nothing to jam, weather, or fail. So for public playground equipment. come heat, cold, rain, or snow, he'll `` The National Recreation and Park always be able to relamp those Association (NRPA) was selected to masthead luminaires on schedule— _ develop a draft standard, and when the draft was completed in 1976, the even in winds to 25 mph. commission contracted the National Bureau of Standards for additional Learn all the other Hydra-Pole Hydra- of is west'with technical work needed to revise the Hydra-Pole lowered to NRPA recommendations. facts and advantages from our illus- ground level.Head frame For information on la rated ours On re UBst. accommodates up to 12 t p yground brochure, y Q luminaires. safety, contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Wash- bookfngton, D.C. 2207, for its HaSafety. 41) POLE- LITE book for Public Playground Safety. • Volume I is General Guidelines for New and Existing Playgrounds, while Volume II is Technical Guide- Pole-Lite Industries, Inc., RD 1 Box 143,Champlain, NY 12919-9718 Telephone 518-298-8211 Fax:518-298-5839 lines for Equipment and Surfacing. American City&County/February 1988 Circle No. 31 On Reader Service Card 47