Arrgh, matey! Temple Park in The Acreage is about to get an upgrade with a new play area featuring a pirate theme. The upgrade was approved at the Wednesday, March 31 meeting of the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors.
Part of a two-phase improvement project, the planned playground structure will have multiple slides, climbers and tiers with 35-foot-by-30-foot poured-in-place rubber footing that is 50 percent color and 50 percent black granule mix.
The structure is for children ages 2 through 12 and will be built by Pro-Playgrounds at a cost of $82,999, which is within the previously allotted budget, ITID Parks & Recreation Director Elizabeth Ricci said.
The addition of swings to the park, located at 17180 Temple Blvd., will cost approximately $50,000 and be part of the second phase. Grant money will be sought for that portion of the project, Ricci said.
The 5.2-acre park already features basketball, racquetball, tennis and sand volleyball courts. There also is a pavilion, picnic area, grills and restrooms.
The board also accepted the recommendation of Ricci and ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson that the supervisors renew the contract with LV Superior Landscaping for maintenance of the district’s 66 acres of parks and the administrative office site.
LV Superior Landscaping has been handling the maintenance since 2015, but when the contract recently expired, ITID staff was asked to put the contract out to bid, which they did.
Eleven bids ranged from $115,000 annually from LV Superior to $412,302. ITID staff also was asked to look at the feasibility of hiring necessary staff and purchasing equipment for the district to do the work in house.
Ricci told the supervisors that her research showed that doing so would require hiring three full-time employees at a cost $157,000 annually, and the purchase of $65,000 of equipment, for a total initial investment of $222,000.
“It is important to note that after months of recruiting for multiple positions and speaking with other local agencies, including Palm Beach County and West Palm Beach, who have also had a difficult time recruiting for parks positions, I do not feel confident that we will be able to recruit qualified candidates to add the adequate staff needed to properly maintain the parks,” Ricci noted in the meeting agenda.
On a 5-0 vote, the board approved the new contract with LV Superior for an initial term of one year, renewable on an annual basis for a total term not to exceed five years. It may be terminated by either party upon 30 days written notice. Recently, LV Superior had been doing the work on a month-to-month basis.
In other business, the board noted that the next Rock Your Park concert will be Sunday, April 11 at Acreage Community Park featuring the Toby Keith tribute band Beer for My Horses. Organized by the Acreage Landowners’ Association, the music gets underway at 6:30 p.m. However, the fun begins at 5 p.m. with a cornhole competition, bounce house, local vendors and a car show. Food trucks, beer, wine and frozen drinks are available, according to the ALA web site, which also notes that mask-wearing and social distancing are strongly encouraged.
