Kiddie Junction Playground Remediation Project Overview
The Ayer Parks Department is currently working on a project to remediate and replace Kiddie Junction Playground in Pirone Park. This has been a project long in the making and is expected to be started in the summer of 2022. The project is multifaceted, with the initial step to remove the existing structure and remediate the soil to MassDEP specifications. Once that is complete, there will be several phases of installation of new playground structures and equipment.
History of the Playground
Kiddie Junction was built in 1989 through the combined efforts of community members, town government and Fort Devens Corps of Engineers. Special efforts were made to procure arsenic free pressure treated wood, which was not readily available at the time and had to be shipped from a company in South Carolina. The playground became well known in the area as an ideal spot for young families due to its unique style and shaded features and has been a centerpiece for Pirone Park activities since then.
First Detections of Arsenic
In 2006 the Environmental Protection Agency was conducting soil samples along the shore of Grove Pond and found elevated levels of arsenic in the soil around the Kiddie Junction area. This led to the Parks Department hiring ATC to do further test with soil samples throughout the Kiddie Junction playground. The results showed that there were elevated levels of arsenic in the soil and wood shavings from the structure showed this was likely coming from the pressure treated wood and not naturally produced. This was most likely from the structure being sand blasted to limit splinters from the aging wood.
EPA representatives made the recommendation that the structure could remain open, but that signage should be posted to let the public know of the existence of arsenic in the wood and soil. They also recommended that while the levels of arsenic were considered elevated and not dangerous at this time, the structure would eventually need to be removed and the site remediated due to concerns about continued elevation levels. Maintenance on the structure would need to be limited, especially anything such as sanding that would release more arsenic into the soil.
Efforts towards Remediation
Since that time, the Parks Department has been working with the Office of Economic and Community Development to seek funding sources for remediation and replacement. The initial estimates for remediation could be between $150K and $300K, depending on the amount of soil required to be removed. An additional $300K-$500K would be needed to replace a portion of the structure, and well over $1 million would be needed to replace it with something similar. Updated safety and ADA requirements would not allow an identical structure to be constructed. Many attempts were made to acquire Federal and state funding, but none were successful, mostly due to the majority of funding sources targeting urban and low-income communities. By 2020, the Parks Commission decided to seek town funding for the project while continuing to seek outside funding sources as well.
In 2020, the Parks Department sought funding to begin a study for the remediation and replacement of Kiddie Junction Playground. The Parks Department was granted $20K to hire a consultant to conduct a study to determine the requirements for remediation, the costs for doing so and the initial design and costs for a replacement. The BETA Group Inc. was hired to do this work and began their study in the fall of 2021. Their soil samples were reported to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and thought the levels were still consistent with the reports of 2006, they ordered the closure of the playground until the site was remediated. BETA concluded that the remediation would be between $100K and $200K, though an exact figure would be difficult to come up with since it would be predicated on how much soil was required to be removed.
Concepts for a New Playground
A committee was formed by the Parks Commission consisting of Commission members, members of the public and Town of Ayer department heads to oversee the development of a new playground. They began meeting with BETA consultants in December 2021 to look at different options and costs for a replacement. The Committee wanted to get as much public input as possible regarding this and set up several public forums to discuss the project and get ideas for preferences of a replacement playground. There was also an online survey put out in February that garnered over 300 responses. The committee is currently using this information to come up with the best approach for building a new playground once the remediation is complete.