Gephardt Gets Results: City Takes Action To Minimize Risk Of Child Playground Burns
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, UTAH – July 7, 2015 – (Gephardt Daily) –
Less than week after a Gephardt Daily special report exposed dangers posed to children by blistering hot playground equipment, especially slides, the city of Cottonwood Heights is taking action. In a decision announced Tuesday, the city council and city manager announced plans to restrict public access to the slides and accompanying playground structures, effective immediately.
The decision comes on the heels of a Gephardt Daily Child Safety Alert which focused on a three-year old girl who was seriously burned after sitting on a slide at Mountview Park. The child suffered second degree burns with blisters on the back of her legs.
Temperature measurements taken by the Gephardt Daily team showed the slide’s temperature varying between 172 and 185 degrees.
Local pediatricians say the problem of playground burns is something they see every summer. The problem is so prevalent that many cities around the U.S. require playground equipment be shaded.
Last week Cottonwood Heights Mayor Kelvyn Cullimore told Gephardt Daily the city was aware of the problem. He said after a previous burn incident the city put up signs in the park with the warning, “Caution. Playground Equipment Can Get Hot.”
Cullimore said the city was open to suggestions and would consider building covers over the playground equipment like they do in Phoenix and Las Vegas, although it would come with a hefty price tag. “Any solution here is going to be in the tens of thousands of dollars, so we’re going to have to weigh that out,” he said.
Tuesday, the Cottonwood Heights released the following statement:
Due to health and safety concerns caused by the effects of direct sunlight on children’s slides located at Mountview Park (1651 E. Fort Union Blvd.), the city council and city manager have decided that the slides and accompanying structures will not be accessible to the public until further notice. Fencing will be installed around the slide structures sometime during the week of July 6, 2015.
The decision to close the structures did not come lightly, as the city weighed the safety of children over the wide popularity of the park, especially since the various parental warning signs in place since the park’s opening have not proven 100% effective.
The park itself will remain open as the city works to find a solution to protect children from the effects of the summer sun on the park equipment. The splash pad, tennis courts, basketball court, soccer fields, restrooms, pavilion and walking path will remain accessible to the public during the slide structure closure.
Mountview Park opened in 2012 on the site of the old Mountview Elementary School. Through an agreement with the Canyons School District, Cottonwood Heights leased the site and constructed the park, which has since received acclaim as one of the Wasatch Front’s best public parks.
The city requests patience from those who may be inconvenienced by this decision.
