Washers made for playground equipment

A local Brookville company has fabricated washers to replace the original ones used to assemble the Dome playground equipment located in Golden Gate Park.

Terry Baver | The Register-Herald

BROOKVILLE — The city was able to save one of the older pieces of playground equipment called the Dome, located in Golden Gate Park, after Brookville City Manager Sonja Keaton requested a local company make special washers to replace the current washers used to assemble the equipment.

At the June 13 meeting, Keaton told park board members, the city’s risk insurance carrier recommended the Dome and another playground piece of equipment, also located in Golden Gate Park, called the Stagecoach, be removed due to safety factors presented by the washers.

“That is due to a chance of a string from clothing getting caught in one of those washers,” Keaton said at the June 13 meeting.

“We have been looking for washers to replace the ones on the Dome and on the Stagecoach, but we have not been able to find replacements,” Keaton continued.

Because of that fact, Keaton told the board the Dome and the Stagecoach would be removed and replaced by the playground equipment recently donated to the city by Dayton KOA Holiday, located at 7796 Wellbaum Road.

“What type of washers are needed?” park board president Adam Blevins asked.

“They are weird-sized washers, Keaton replied, adding a child climbing to the top of the Dome could jump off and get the string from a hoodie caught in one of the washers.

Blevins suggested a way to save the equipment was to have a fabricated washer made to replace the current washers.

At the July 11 park board meeting, Keaton announced the Longhorn Fab Shop, located at 5022 Brookville Pyrmont Road, in Brookville, was able to make washers for the Dome.

“We placed an order for 304 of the stainless steel hex washers to replace the washers that are on the Dome,” Keaton said.

Keaton said instead of changing the washers on the Stagecoach, it was decided to remove the piece of playground equipment and replace it with the KOA playground equipment.

In other matters, Keaton told the board the roof on the Brookville Optimist open air picnic shelter in Golden Gate Park was replaced.

“When the service department was out trimming trees in Golden Gate Park, it was noticed there was a large hole in the Brookville Optimist Club open air shelter roof,” Keaton said.

“There were holes starting to form in other areas of the roof, so we had the roof replaced,” Keaton added.

Keaton said she wanted the roof replaced before the annual community picnic scheduled for July 27-29 in the park.

Keaton also told the park board LED lights have been installed at the basketball and tennis courts in Golden Gate Park.

Keaton informed the park board park permits are up $1.546 compared to last June.

Keaton indicated donations are down just over $14,000.

Keaton said league fees for the adult softball program are up $2,370 compared to last year.

Keaton said, however, fees are down $1,990 compared to 2021.

“That’s that ebb and flow I’ve mentioned in the past, so we’re picking back up from last year, which is a good thing,” Keaton said.

Keaton said she learned from adult softball manager Ron Chandler the fall leagues start the first week of August.

“Right now they plan on playing their fall league games on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings and I believe we are close to having 20 teams,” Keaton said.

Reach Terry Baver at [email protected].