According to the U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Public Playground
Safety Handbook, there are 200,000 injuries on playgrounds annually in the United States that
results in children needing emergency room treatment. The majority of those injuries are the
result of falls from equipment. The CPSC Handbook provides guidelines for impact absorbing
materials, fall zones and equipment. The Department of Early Education and Care (EEC)
recommends that programs follow the CPSC Handbook as a way to reduce the number of these
injuries. EEC has developed this policy based on the recommendations of the CPSC and the
requirements of 606 CMR Standards for Licensure so that children in care will be provided an
outdoor environment that is safe, age appropriate, challenging and promotes healthy growth and
development.
The regulations that impact outdoor space, surfacing, fall zones, equipment, entrapments,
hazards and supervision are:
6.06 CMR 7.07(7)
Outdoor Space The licensee must maintain, or have access to, an outdoor play area
of at least 75 square feet per child who is outside at any one time.
(a) The play area must be accessible to children with disabilities.
(b) The outdoor play space must be appropriate for each age group served.
(c) The outdoor play area must provide for both direct sunlight and shade.
(d) The outdoor play area must be free from hazards including but not limited to: a busy street, a parking
lot, poisonous plants, water hazards, debris, broken glass, chipping, peeling or flaking paint, dangerous
machinery or tools, and weather related and environmental hazards or small objects that could present a
choking hazard to young children. Any such hazard must be removed or fenced by a sturdy, permanently
installed barrier which is at least four feet high or otherwise protected or removed, as appropriate.
(e) If the outdoor play space is located on a roof, it must be protected by a barrier at least seven feet high,
which cannot be climbed by children.
(f) The outdoor play space must not be covered with a dangerously harsh, abrasive, or toxic material.
(h) Suitable barriers, including but not limited to bulkhead doors, must be installed to prevent falls into
outdoor stair or window wells.
sounds like the town dept in charge of playgrounds is failing and the BOS is looking the other way. why is the playgrounds not inspected? cut the grass when it does not need it is more important
ReplyDeleteHow come the new playground was built at Templeton Center School grounds that was known to be demolished? Seems like a waste of time and energy when it could have been built at Town Hall playground. I know people asked when the new playground was built but was met with snotty attitude. I hope all those volunteers that showed up to help build it understand when their hard work is ripped up. Templeton leadership at its finest....yet again.
ReplyDeleteYep, another DHB blunder, it was all about glorifying something she was involved in.
DeleteA wanna be Gladys !! It will never happen. Gladys would never put the school before her community. As much as she loved her children, she understood that she represented the whole community. I miss my friend, but in a way I am glad she is not here to see this poor excuse for Town Government
DeleteSeems like the only issue now is when will it be corrected. If as Mr Caplis states it is grandfathered then we have nothing to worry about. On the other hand, now we have been notified, if it is not grandfathered our liability seems undeniable.
ReplyDeleteI personally feel it should either be right, or closed until it can be Safe based on todays standards.
The liability may be even more now, because the problem has been pointed out. There is no excuse. The BOS cannot say they did not realize there was problem, as it has been talked about.
Deletemaybe we need a new BOS? but who wants to run for this office in this town? If anyone that is any good gets on there are 4 others who don't know what they are doing!
ReplyDeleteit seems to me from watching the BOS meetings on TV/utube that the TA must go and the town gets a full time TA like we voted for. If these BOS members can't get the job done we will need to vote them out of office even if it is one by one
ReplyDeletetonight the BOS did what they were told to do by you know who
ReplyDeleteHow obedient of them. Do they plan to spend their way out of this mess this town is in. Use the only free cash this town has had in years, to pay our debt. Where will the rest go ? In reading yesterdays Gardner News, under history, "25 years ago. October 2, 1992. Templeton - The town has "absolutely no more money to spend" this year, Assessor Wilfred "Bumpsey" Dennis told the Board of Selectmen Monday night. But Chairman Linda Parviainen added, "Everything in this year's budget has been taken care of and we're still able to operate as a town" "The efforts of Dennis and the other town assessors enabled the settlement of the town's budget, she said. "Everything's settled for this year; we just can't raise and appropriate because we have no money," Parviainen said." Surprise, surprise ! I was being conservative when I have said that we have been broke for twenty years. Make that twenty five, just to be correct. The more things change the more they stay the same ! Bev.
DeleteOn topic of "Playground Safety " another stellar move by Templeton. Planning a playground next to ( 1/2 mile ) EPA superfund site. This alone should give one answers to Templeton lack of knowledge on planning.
DeleteIf the Town of Templeton wants to develop" 500 acres off exit 20 for an industrial park " and to " get a warrant .. for fast tracking permits " i.e. - environmental regulations What could go wrong ? This Town has already ruined for generations land and water for drinking thru groundwater contamination. Make sure you take that EDIC rep who likes to " facilitate $165 dinners " for meetings to : Temple Stuart's PCB Asbestos site , Baldwinville ( Erving Paper Mill ) superfund site , PCE filtration on Otter River public water tank , Birch Hill Damn area , the unlined Town of Templeton Dump located conveniently upstream from Baldwinville and its public drinking water wells next to the Otter River ( 65 ft deep ) . I could go on but the information is readily available on line and open sourced.
ReplyDelete* Follow the money
DeleteJoe nobody in this town cares or wants to do anything about the poor management (BOS/TA)
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that to be the case. I would like to ask why the chair and the other member of the BOS did not attend this "workshop" , as well as not introducing a speaker that was requested to make a presentation to the BOS. I would also like to point out its completely unprofessional to giggle in between attempting to make coherent statements on camera. This just adds to the incredulity and unprofessional demeanor to an already deficient process.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThe sustainability of any community is inextricably tied with its land use practices. This can be especially true in smaller towns such as Templeton where the absence of capacity to create and implement good planning and policies can make it all easy for an ad hoc culture of poorly designed, haphazard development and most importantly complete lack of any environmental over site for its citizens. Just the 2 EPA superfund sites and 1 DEP site located within 3/4 of a mile of each other as example, encompassing the middle of a once quaint New England Village. But on these issues, too, there is a lot that can be done to guide the right kind of development to the right places in order to support economic, social, and environmental vitality.
However if past is prologue and the present is what we have now, the future looks dim at best. I would urge all citizens to view the videos that are nicely provided to you thru either cable if not on line TCTV YouTube channel and judge for yourselves.