Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: A city of Safford employee uses a Ditch Witch to dig a trench to relocate water lines prior to the renovation of the playground area with the installation of a rubberized surface.
By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – The playground areas at Firth Park and Glenn Meadows Park are closed for renovation.
The closure is tentatively scheduled to remain in effect until the end of January 2020. The rest of the park areas remain open during construction, including the yellow playground structure near the Safford Pool.
The renovation is part of the city’s plan to make more areas compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and will install rubberized surfacing under the playground equipment at both Glenn Meadows Park and Firth Park. The rubberized surfacing will be the same type that was installed at Thatcher’s parks and comes with a 10-year guarantee but is expected to last longer.

The city asks the public to take heed of all construction signs and do not enter the work construction zone.
Ron Cox Builders, LLC, of Thatcher, was contracted to perform the renovation after the city accepted its lowest bid of $222,577. The project will be paid by the city’s share of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds.