Sri Lankan playground team continues work overseas.

After a group of four NRPA representatives--Curtis Stoddard, Tom Norquist, Ken Kutska and Monty Christiansen--returned last May from their trip to Sri Lanka to help build playgrounds for the devastated region, there was still much to be done. Since then, the group has worked tirelessly behind the scenes in the playground industry to develop designs, select quipment and create the bidding process by which Sri Lankan communities would choose certain playground elements.

GameTime won the contract to supply all the equipment, and the first wave of supplies has been shipped to Sri Lanka. Now, Stoddard has returned to Sri Lanka to work with 30 Sri Lankans on how to properly assemble and construct the playground sets. The goal of the project was to have one playground built and open for use by December 26, the first anniversary of the tsunami that hit. The team was actually ahead of schedule and completed two playgrounds for dedication by that date.

Christiansen will return to Sri Lanka in the coming months to train numerous Sri Lankans in the equivalent of NPSI's Certified Playground Safety Inspector (CPSI) course. This effort will complete the mission goals of not only delivering playground equipment, but to train locals on how to install, inspect and maintain them.