The Woodlands Township board of directors voted unanimously on March 20 to purchase new playground equipment for five parks across The Woodlands which are deteriorating or outdated.

The details

Township Parks and Recreation Director John McGowan presented the five renovation plans totaling $704,568 to board members, to be paid out of the township's capital improvement fund. McGowan said all of the playgrounds in The Woodlands are surveyed on an annual basis to ensure the safety of the equipment, and playgrounds are also on a 17-20-year replacement plan.

The five parks approved for new playground equipment include:

• Artist Grove Park, 21 years old: $132,001
• Alden Trace Park, 21 years old: $133,896
• Alden Woods Park, 20 years old: $168,671
• High Oaks Park, 18 years old: $135,000
• Alden Place Park, 17 years old: $135,000

"I know this is aggressive, and we wanted to get all five of them to you now, instead of piecing them out through the year," McGowan told board members.

The timeline

McGowan said the playground equipment would take six to nine months to install at each park, and the work is outsourced to companies which specialize in playground equipment for installation. However, McGowan also told board members any salvageable playground equipment is donated to a company which repairs and installs the used equipment in underserved communities internationally.