Johnson City to resurface Rotary Park playground with rubberized safety surface

City parks officials told the Board of Commissioners on Feb. 5 that Rotary Park’s playground turf has reached the end of its useful life and poses a safety concern, and recommended replacing it with a rubberized surface. April Norris, parks and recreation director, said the playground — originally renovated in 1998 using a Local Parks and Recreation Fund grant and designed as an inclusive, boundless playground — receives heavy use and the existing turf no longer meets safety expectations.

Norris said the city selected a contractor who has assured staff the resurfacing will be completed by May. The work is expected to require a temporary closure of the playground during the early spring months; staff plans to reopen the play area in time for the splash pad season. Commissioners thanked staff for maintenance of city parks and had no substantive objections to the plan.

The board considered this item after pulling it from the consent agenda for discussion; no formal vote on the bid award was recorded in the transcript during the meeting. The city did not state the contract award amount in the discussion, and staff indicated the contractor’s timeline and the choice to replace turf with a rubberized surface were intended to preserve inclusive access.