MANSFIELD — New playground equipment is on tap for Maple Lark Park this year.
The city’s Board of Control on Tuesday approved spending $73,477 with Midstates Recreation on new equipment for the park on Arlington Avenue on the city’s near west side.
The money is in the city’s Parks & Recreation Department budget for 2024, according to parks Supt. Mark Abrams.
He said some of the current playground equipment at the 1.2-acre park dates back to the 1950s.
(Below is a PDF file showing what new playground equipment would look like installed at Maple Lake Park in Mansfield this year.)
“It desperately needs to be replaced,” Abrams said.
The company reported the new equipment could arrive in four to six weeks. Public Works Director Louis Andres said the project should be completed by June or July.
The new equipment would be similar to playground equipment installed in recent years at North Lake Park, Johns Park, Burton Park and Redwood Park.
Funds for the new equipment come from the parks department budget, which is supported by the city’s Parks, Recreation, Illumination, Demolitions and Emergency Services (PRIDE) income tax, which generates about $3.7 million annually.
The parks department receives about 22 percent of that tax, just over $800,000 annually.
It’s not known if the parks department will receive any additional money through the city’s general fund this year. New Mayor Jodie Perry will present her permanent spending plan to City Council next week.
“I know the neighborhood will appreciate (the new equipment) because we have had quite a bit of neighbor feedback on that park,” Perry said Tuesday.
Also, the Board of Control approved spending $38,500 with Fire Safety Services to purchase “turnout gear” for members of the Mansfield Fire Department. Funds for the purchase are in the department’s 2024 budget.
“We are on a seven-year replacement cycle for all of our turnout gear, which is our structural firefighting equipment,” Chief Dan Crow said.
“The particular quote for you today is for pants and coats — and that would keep us on pace to stick with our program of replacement. The manufacturer’s expected life expectancy of the turnout gear is 10 years.
“The way that we use it, it doesn’t last that long for us. Seven years is where we’re at in terms of placement. So this is just to provide existing employees,” the chief said.
The Board of Control also approved a revised contract with Stryker ProCare Services to provide preventative maintenance on the fire department’s EMS equipment.
The annual cost of the five-year contract, which runs through 2028, will decrease by $580, according to Crow, who said the department took two items off the maintenance list that are no longer being used.
The yearly cost will drop to $12,968 per year from the current $13,548, he said.
He said the maintenance program just began in 2023.
“Prior to that, we did not do preventative maintenance. We would just wait for stuff to break and then it was very expensive to fix it,” said Crow, who took over as the department leader in December.
“So last year was the first year of this program. It worked very well for us.”
