sandestin playground=toxic waste dump?

[Kurt]

I believe it's this one, bear left at the bandshell:

Adventure Landing
Swings that reach the clouds, winding paths and mazes that lead to unknown places, bridges and slides with water to splash in - a playground beyond your wildest dreams has been completed at The Village of Baytowne Wharf at Sandestin. With the imagination and support of locals, children from Butler and Destin Elementary Schools, as well as Playground Specialists from Leathers & Associates, Adventure Landing at Baytowne Wharf is the fulfillment of drawings and dreams of local children. Located across from Mangos Paradise Grille in The Village of Baytowne Wharf.


I believe the one below has cypress mulch:

Jolee Island
Create your own nature escape on the rustic five-acre Jolee Island Nature Park. Just a hop-skip-and-a-jump from the Baytowne Marina, enter by strolling along a wooden footbridge over a scenic salt marsh. A mile-long perimeter trail is dotted with weather-beaten, double-wide porch swings, where you can sit and watch the waters of Horseshoe Bayou lap up against the shore or catch an amazing sunset over Choctawhatchee Bay. Kids enjoy the pirate ship-shaped playground and look-out tower overlooking the island's pines and magnolias while parents stroll the perimeter and relax on an occasional porch swing.

 

[GoodWitch58]

Dr. Skunky, perhaps it is a public health issue? Glad you are checking it out so our little peeps can be safe.

 

[Kurt]

Builder - Leathers & Associates

Their supplier:
http://www.groundscapekids.com/inFAQt/default.php?c=4

Reduce your ownership cost 70% over the next 8 years
20% Less expensive than wood engineered systems

Q: Can?t I just buy black tire rubber?
A: No. Black tire rubber is dirty (has grind residue), retains heat (enough to limit playtime on hot days) and has a chalk residue because UV rays are breaking down the rubber. GroundScape Kids is clean, dissipates heat better (based on color) and in UV stable.
Q: Does GroundScape Kids smell?
A: No. You may notice a minimal odor at time of installation, but the odor disappears quickly after installation.
Q: Does GroundScape Kids Attract animals?
A: No. The texture of the product has proven to be disliked by animals and rodents. Therefore, animals will not nest, root or defecate in the product.

 

[Smiling JOe]

Thats funny. I wouldn't think that rats and squirrels like the texture of the wiring of my sparkplug wires and wiring to my tail lights either, but they seem to love both. Therefore I call

on that last FAQ.

 

[destinconcierge]

the playground at the village of baytowne wharf has a rubber tire mulch as ground cover instead of sand, dirt, or child safe rubber flooring (as at Destin Commons).

the signs indicate that the playground is unsafe from the hours of 9am - 6pm, because the tires are EXTREMELY HOT.

those signs are true, even adult feet couldn't bear the burn if they touch the rubber mulch!
but when exactly do they think children play?

in addition, there are other concerns about using rubber tire mulch in any residential area, let alone around children who are more vulnerable to some of the byproducts of using this toxic petroleum waste.

because the playground is positioned in an area that has little or no shade and it is in an environment that is very hot most days the rubber begins to burn. this is very dangerous for many reasons:
1) if you touch the rubber in the heat of the day, you will notice an orangish residue on your fingers. this is what happens when the rubber is heated petroleum byproduct begins to emit from the rubber
2) because it is a petroleum based product the area is an EXTREME fire hazard. i think of that often when i see parents or patrons of mangos smoking nearby. if a fire were to start at the entry of the playground, it would be difficult to get to the children in the middle or back of the playground quickly as the playground is surrounded by this highly flammable rubber tire material.
3) while burning tires emits extreme toxic fumes, having them sit out in the heat of the sun all day creates the same issue. even if you aren't aware of it as an adult, a child's immune system is much more delicate and vulnerable than yours. fumes from tires are a known carcinogen.
4) when children fall on this ground cover it has been established that many children get dermatitis or other mild or severe reactions from contact with these rubber tires. so while it might prevent the child from getting a bruise or breaking a bone, it may cause other injuries related to the skin or lungs.

so my question is, since it's too dangerous to play on the playground during times when children might be awake and the rubber could endanger the safety of children and even make them sick.

why on earth is this being used as a ground cover at sandestin's public children playground? and do other parents understand the dangers of this kind of material?

I took my 2 yr old grandson there on July 4th....it was so HOT that I hardly stand it, not to mention the SMELL was horrible! I had to drag my grandson off screaming cause he wanted to play, but I knew that it was not a safe enviroment. Hopefully this will be addressed by the persons in charge.
Thanks for posting!

 

[ladyj]

I remember when we played on playgrounds that were covered in gravel! Man, my knees were always bleeding.

 

[Mullet123]

I take my kids there all the time and have never noticed the heat.

I have noticed the sign and figured it was there to advise caution on the heat of the slides etc.

Maybe Raven can call Baytowne Wharf and get to the bottom of it.

 

[destinconcierge]

We are headed that way for lunch...do you know roughly where the playground is?

It is next to MANGO's. Please check it out and let's do someting to get it changed!

 

[30A Skunkape]

So here is the deal. I went and scoped it out today, I guess about 2PM...no clouds, beams of pure Florida sunshine raining down upon the dread tire bits. Now, I must say, as you approach the play area, you notice an incease in ambient temperature (maybe 5-10 degrees) due to the heat retention of the shredded tires. I walked into the middle of the area (there is a faux wood walkway), took my shoes off and took one for the team. The tires were hot alright, not a killer, but certainly not comfortable...akin to beach sand that is a bit warmer than you might like. I scooped up a handful of the tires;they seemed clean for the most part, they were not oily, sooty or anything like that. I clenched a fistfull of the stuff and it didn't dirty my hand much. I noted a rubber smell like a garden hose on a warm day, but there was no overpowering stench, eye/nasal irritation. I should mention there is a moderate amount of shaded space to the play area, but the majority of the playground equipment is in the sun. There is also a misting station in the shade. Two little kids rushed up on the scene and were about to plunge shoeless into the tires but were stopped by Rapunzy. My opinion is that they really should have found a better soft surface to lay down, but it isn't dangerous per se; I wouldn't advise a small child run in it for more than a few minutes on a hot day.

 

[raven]

I wouldn't advise a small child run in it for more than a few minutes on a hot day.

that's really all you need to say. because given that recommendation why would you use tire mulch for a playground? who else do you think is going to that playground? and, most importantly, would you allow your own child to play in it? we may disagree on the specifics of this material, but it's clear we agree that small children&hotdays&rubbertiremulch are not a good idea. and that is the combination you get with that ground cover being used for children's playground at a beach resort in the south.

as for reaching out to sandestin, this along with a few other safety and enjoyment measures on behalf of children (stagnant pools with mosquito breeding; errant golf balls hitting children; no lifeguards at pools & beaches; yield signs pointed toward bikers instead of toward traffic; etc) have been presented to a variety of folks at sandestin by myself and other friends of ours to personnel from security, the SOA president and the VP of resort activities. the response to any recommendation is ALWAYS "maybe it's a problem, but it's not our problem and nobody else is complaining."

i understand they are pretending to "market" to families now (ie. lots of pictures of kids in their promotional material), but well-educated and experienced business people know that marketing is not a slogan it's how you build and run your business. this is not business that has children or families in mind. ie. their new website which lists: drinking coffee, getting your hair bleached and drinking at a bar as fun activities for "sandestin teens". after expressing my concern to intrawest about this outrageous promotional text given problems with underage drinking in the village, i was told that was sandestin's perogative.