GreyHawk Landing considers playground improvements

Summer heat puts a damper on playground usage, especially when the sun beats down on metal structures.

Lucas Levine, a resident of GreyHawk Landing, spoke before the Community Development District Board of Supervisors at its meeting Thursday to consider purchasing sunshades for the community’s two playgrounds.

“I have two kids under 3 years,” he said. “I want to take them, but it’s too hot.”

Instead, Levine takes his children to parks outside of his development that are better equipped to handle the summertime temperatures.

At the meeting, he also requested that the supervisors consider switching out the wood-chip mulch for a rubber alternative.

“Mulch is painful, sharp and can cause cuts,” he said. “There’s no reason not to make the change to recycled material.”

He made a post on a GreyHawk Landings community Facebook page about his requests to the board, and said he had a lot of online support for his proposal.

“Some districts use rubber, others use wood,” said Greg Cox, district manager. “The pros and cons are probably equal.”

Michael Plaia, the vice chair, said the board considered rubber chips at the playground a few years ago, at his suggestion, and the idea was ultimately abandoned.

“We need the actual costs—estimates for appropriate shading for the two playgrounds,” said Chairman Ollie Kyte.

The board tabled any potential approval of sunshades and rubber mulch changes until the board received cost estimates of each improvement.