SAFETY CUTS SWING FROM BAD TO GOOD PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT REMOVED; GRANT TO FUND REPLACEMENTS.Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer CASTAIC - A move to eliminate playground safety hazards from Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County parks has taken a turn for the positive with an allocation of funds arranged by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich Michael Dennis Antonovich (born 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors representing the Fifth District, which covers northern Los Angeles County, the Antelope, Santa Clarita, Pasadena, and parts of the San Fernando and San . When playground equipment was removed from Del Valle park last week, parents of disappointed children called parks officials and protested, prompting Antonovich to find grant funding for new equipment. ``The good news is that we've been allocated $500,000 to replace playground equipment in our area,'' said Karen Grant Karen Grant was a fictional character in the UK Soap Opera Brookside, played by Sheelagh O'Hara from Episode two in 1982 until 1988 when the character left the series. Family
Nearly two decades of wear and tear on much playground equipment meant potential safety hazards for small children climbing, sliding and swinging from the bars and platforms. ``Unfortunately, to eliminate the hazards, we had to begin eliminating the equipment with no money to replace it. This grant is a very positive thing for us,'' she said. Grant said that in the past five years, there have only been two accidents reported in county parks. ``Generally, 70 (percent) to 80 percent of all accidents on playground equipment are falls to the surface, so we'll be working on softening softening /sof·ten·ing/ (sof´en-ing) malacia. softening a change of consistency, with loss of firmness or hardness. up the surface when we put the new equipment in,'' Grant said. Park workers will rototill ro·to·till tr.v. ro·to·tilled, ro·to·till·ing, ro·to·tills To cultivate or dig with a rototiller: rototilled the garden before planting. sand as deep as 12 inches on a regular basis. New equipment that meets current safety standards Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory. will be installed at Hasley and Del Valle parks, as well as George Lane George Lane (born 1940 ) is a British "mental calculator" and author. He is a three-times world champion and one of only three Grandmasters of Mental Calculation, as recognised by the Mind Sports Organisation. Park in Quartz Hill and Farnsworth Park in Altadena. Installation is expected to begin within three months. Signs announcing the new equipment's arrival will go up soon, Grant said. ``We were very excited to get this news,'' she said. ``In this line of work, the hardest thing is to remove something that you know the kids depend on. I'm glad we've got the opportunity to give them something new.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion