Community Corner

Future of Unique Hickory Ridge Tot Lot Uncertain

The wooden playground built by a community member in the 1970s may have to be taken down.

 

The tot lot behind Sixpence Circle and Buglenote Way in Hickory Ridge blends into the landscape with its weathered wood and natural look.

The playground is known in the community for its wobbly bridge, a tree that grows directly through a fort and because its designer was landscape architect Fred Jarvis, who built his own house on Buglenote and lived in Hickory Ridge for decades.

Find out what's happening in Columbiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But due to modern safety standards, the playground may have to be torn down.

The issue is divisive. Community residents say they consider the playground a treasure in Columbia. The Columbia Association says a major overhaul is necessary to avoid legal liability.

Find out what's happening in Columbiawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“The thing that’s so great about this playground is it’s integrated into the landscape,” said Hickory Ridge Village Manager Jessamine Duvall. “To take that away and stick in a plastic brightly colored fort with a couple of spring animals seems contrary to the idea what of Columbia is supposed to be about.”

“It seems to embody that oneness with nature that the original Columbia was trying to achieve,” added Duvall. “Do we just have to homogenize everything?”

CA officials said the 20-year-old playground does not meet safety standards dictated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which writes public playground safety guidelines.

“In this case, the design of the equipment is so far removed from the regulations that it can’t remain as it is, and it can’t be rebuilt as it is,” said Denis Ellis, the director of capital improvement projects for CA’s bureau of community building and sustainability, in an email.

Ellis said CA is examining the playground to see if any of its memorable features can be salvaged or modified to meet the latest safety guidelines. He said specifically they are looking at keeping the design of the two fort structures connected with a bridge.

The issue first came to light about a year ago, according to Duvall, when a resident notified CA that repairs needed to be made to the aging playground.

In a blog post written by Duvall, she addressed the central issue, “[CA] can’t knowingly leave it as it is if it needs work for liability reasons. Has anyone ever fallen and sued? Nope. Is it likely that anyone will? Nope. But we live in a litigious world and CA doesn’t want to take chances. I get that.”

However, she said maybe there’s something else the community can do to preserve the park. She wants CA to provide residents with specific issues with the park that violate current regulations and attempt to address those.

“What I don’t think anyone is willing to do, without some pressure, is to think outside the box,” said Duvall.

She said the best option, in her opinion, would be to rebuild the playground exactly as its, but with new materials. She said certain aspects like the metal slide and metal chains on the wobbly bridge would have to go, but that more minor changes could be made to the overall design so it would meet safety guidelines.

Ellis said CA is re-surveying the area to see if it can be made larger, to help meet safety requirements. Once that’s done, he said he plans on re-examining what can be reused.

“[CA] is looking into whether it can preserve the character of this tot lot while still meeting current safety regulations,” said Ellis, in an email. “We are not going to make any changes until we have communicated the plans to the community.”


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here