Safford’s parks get ready for rubber surfacing

Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: A construction crew pours and smooths the cement foundation for the rubberized surfacing to come.

By Jon Johnson

jonjohnsonnews@gmail.com

SAFFORD – The playground areas at Firth Park and Glenn Meadows Park are getting a facelift to become compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and create a nicer environment for patrons.

On Tuesday, work crews were busy pouring the concrete base that will be used to place a poured in rubber surfacing.

The playground areas are closed for renovation until the end of January. 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 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.  

Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: Workers smooth out the cement that will form the base for the poured in rubberized play surface.

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.