Not every HOA community has a playground, nor even the space and the resources for a playground. For those communities that do have a playground, though, it’s certainly a great service for families and children in the neighborhood—a fun and relatively low-maintenance provision for community-building.
Low maintenance does not mean no maintenance, however, and the HOA Board should certainly invest some time in making sure all playground areas are safe and clean. Since spring is on its way and playground use is likely to increase sharply as soon as the weather warms up, now is as good a time as any to inspect your playground areas and make any necessary adjustments or repairs.
A few things to think about:
- What kind of playground surfaces do you have installed? Something soft—a bouncy composite rubber or perhaps sand—can minimize the risk of injury, should children fall from equipment. If you have a hard surface under your playground equipment, you may wish to prioritize a resurfacing of your playground.
- Make sure you inspect all the nuts and bolts on playground equipment, which can sometimes become loose due to wear and tear. Tighten and replace nuts and bolts as needed.
- Take a peek into any nooks and crannies you see in your playground equipment, and be alert to any insect or spider nests you see; take care to eradicate them completely.
- Take some time to clean your playground equipment as best you can; obviously, playground equipment is meant to be outdoors and to withstand extreme elements, but it’s still a good idea to tidy things up periodically.
- Finally, evaluate the level of safety signage you have. Do you need to post more/clearer iterations of the playground safety rules?
Playground inspection should happen at least once per year, though really, the more you do it, the better. Make an effort to get out there and make sure your playground is safe before the spring season kicks in!
