The Eldridge Park playground is in need of significant rehabilitation for public safety. The play structures are approximately 19 years old, exceeding their 10 year warranty time. A typical play structure’s life expectancy is about 20 years. The playground is located in one of the most popular community parks in Sugar Land and is heavily used by children.
There are currently structural issues in the following areas: the swing beam-post connection, play station stair beams, play station deck-post joints, overhead bar foundation, corroding decks, etc. Staff has made numerous repairs to temporarily fix the issues and make them safe for use, but they are only short-term solutions of which the cost has accumulated to about $6,600. Staff’s assessment is that the playground is no longer cost effective to repair and maintain due to its condition and age.
Staff requested proposals from three playground vendors through BuyBoard, which is a local government purchasing cooperative. Section 791.025, Tex. Gov't Code and Chapter 271, Subchapter F, Tex. Loc. Gov't Code, authorize the City to purchase goods or services through a local government purchasing cooperative and thereby satisfy any state law requiring competitive bids. The City has authorized participation in the BuyBoard by Resolution No. 01-03. The Burke (a well-known playground structure brand) option proposed by fun abounds, inc. stands out by having the most play features, composing both innovative play challenges and traditional popular elements, being architecturally interesting and iconic, utilizing the limited space to its best potential, and is within budget. The scope of services includes demolition, play structures, freight, playground installation and fall surface top off. The project is estimated to take about 8-9 weeks to complete starting from Notice to Proceed and including structure lead time. This estimate is subject to change due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. The project will be managed so that the playground closing time is minimized while actual on-site construction occurs.
fun abounds, inc. is a Sugar Land-based BuyBoard company that has supplied multiple playgrounds, most recently Highlands Park Playground, and playground safety fall surfaces to the City in the past. Its clients include municipal entities, homeowner associations, school districts and churches in Houston and Southeast Texas.
Staff recommends the City Council authorize a contract with fun abounds, inc. in the amount of $79,224.52 to perform the Eldridge Park Playground Rehabilitation project.