Call to keep play equipment

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 467, 21 December 1992, Page 1

Call to keep play equipment

by

DavtooftheRIC

A money saving solution to part of the safety problems recently highlighted in Raetihi's children's playground has been put forward by the original builder, but as yet no official consideration of it has been made. John Dobson, who built the slide and some

of the other equipment, is saddened by the idea of tearing down all the equipment and has a proposal to make the slide safer by building up the ground level around it with a landscaped artificial hill, including recessed concrete steps and turf or gardens to prevent children falling off the

sides. "It's got to be cheaper than pulling the slide down," said Mr Dobson, "and why nobody else has suggested it is a mystery to me." Jenny Dekker, of the Waimarino Health Watch Committee was open to the idea of the improvement of the slide, but she

said since the final Committee meeting was on 14 December, the Committee would be unable to discuss the matter for some time. "We had no suggestions on this matter," she said. "No one member of the committee can say yes or no on the matter. Although the only point

we could raise to improve the slide is to place tin or other metal sheeting on the slide surface." Council engineer Don Sattler, declined to comment at this time. "Really, it's in their (the Health Watch Committee) hands entirely at present," He said.