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With the help of the Rotary Club, the Seminole Recreation Center adds an energy absorbing surface to the playground.
By MAUREEN BYRNE AHERN
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 14, 2002
SEMINOLE -- When boys and girls take a tumble at the playground at Seminole Recreation Center, they'll have softer landings.
Thanks to a $2,000 donation from the Rotary Club of Seminole, the ground under the swings and slides is now covered with an energy absorbing protective surface. Called Sof'Fall, the mulch-like material consists of tiny virgin wood fibers.
"What this material does is knit together," said Elouise Bird, president of the Draper, Utah, company that manufactures and sells Sof'Fall. "It kind of settles down, and what that does is enable it to have a stable surface."
The more people walk on the material, the faster it compacts, she said.
Each year, approximately 205,860 preschool and elementary children receive emergency care for injuries that occur on playground equipment, according to the National Program for Playground Safety.
Many municipalities use recycled tire mulch to cover play areas. Although the shredded tires provide a softer surface, they can be dirty and hot, Bird said.
Another perk about Sof'Fall is that it's wheelchair-accessible, said Jim Sheets, the city's recreation director. Once the material settles, a wheelchair can roll over the top of it.
"Our club is trying to help the youth in the community, and this is a project that will also will help the handicapped," said Rotary president Trudi Massaro.
Workers delivered 100 cubic yards of the wood chips Tuesday. The following day, a dozen rotary members used rakes and shovels to finish spreading the material over already laid wood mulch.
The club's $2,000 donation paid for all of the product, which costs $20 a cubic yard.
"It's great to have service clubs in our city," said Mayor Dottie Reeder.