Although it could be open today, a popular playground at Bridgeport City Park had to be closed recently. However, it’s actually a good thing.

 

On Wednesday, workers with the Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Staff began doing more than $1,000 worth of work on the playground to make it an even safer venue for children. P&R Deputy Director Joe Shuttleworth said he hopes it will be ready for children soon.

 

“We anticipate the work will be done (today),” said Shuttleworth. “It’s going to look really nice when it’s finished.”

 

The work being done is the result of a grant Shuttleworth applied for through a company called Kaboom, which is charitable arm of Snapple and Dr. Pepper. The grant sought applicants in need of funding for playground maintenance and revitalization. Shuttleworth applied for a grant to do work at the playground.

 

The project has staff replacing the existing mulch material at the playground. Although still safe, the material has been beaten up by years of weathering, occasional flooding of Simpson Creek and heavy usage. The money from the grant has allowed the Parks Department to replace it with an engineered wood fiber – similar to mulch – that workers have spread around the base of the playground just beyond the City Park parking lot. The material, which is ground up hardwood, lasts a long time in comparison to mulch that used to be used.

 

The total amount of the project is roughly $1,500. Kaboom provided $750 and the city had to match that dollar for dollar.

 

“The product we’re using is safe and it’s soft. It’s also approved for handicap use so this is something that will benefit all the users of that playground,” Shuttleworth said previously. “Getting this grant sped up a process we would have eventually done. I don’t know if it would have been done this year without the grant.”

 

Editor's Note: Workers remove the old mulch on Wednesday, while a sample of the former material is shown up close by Joe Shuttleworth.