Langley event was about showing the possabilities

Langley City reopened its KaBOOM! Playground July 12, in conjunction with the annual A Day of Pos-Abilities event at the Douglas Park Spirit Square.

The City received an $18,340 matching grant from the Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) Community Grant Program to install safe, accessible flooring made from recycled BC tires in the playground.

The community is provided a safe and inclusive area to play, while also keeping a total of 19,671 pounds of rubber out of B.C. landfills.

“The new product is superior to the rubber tiles,” said Len Walters, the City’s superintendent of Parks Operations. “After eight to nine years, the tiles were curling and separating, causing a tripping hazard and, in some cases, a physical barrier for our users. Removing such barriers and ensuring accessibility means everyone can participate fully and safely in our community.”

The new, seamless surface is made from B.C. recycled tire rubber. As part of the renovation, worn rubber tiles under the play equipment were removed and replaced with ‘poured-in-place’ colourful rubber. Designs around the perimeter, which include a snake, alligator and lily pads, provide imaginative play opportunities.

“It’s important that everyone in our community has access to the same activities and opportunities,” said Walters. “The increased accessibility provides an opportunity for wheelchair users to enjoy more interactive play.”

A Day of Pos-Abilities also marked the official opening of the newly upgraded Douglas Park Water Park. It was refit with a new, more accessible concrete splash pad, vibrant colourful perimeter path, as well as new and refurbished spray equipment.

North Langley Diamond Sports was provided with $8,345 to upgrade its batting cage flooring, and the Fort Langley Child Care Society received $8,421 for new flooring at the Fort Langley playground. In total, the three projects will be using 32,027 pounds of recycled rubber.

Through the Community Grant Program, TSBC awards matching funds up to $30,000 to projects throughout the province – at schools, community centres, municipalities, parks, playgrounds, arenas, athletic tracks, etc. – that use BC recycled rubber.

More than 60 million vehicle tires have been recycled in the province since 1991, when the scrap tire-recycling program was first launched. Other uses for B.C. recycled rubber include: outdoor fitness parks, water parks, trails, athletic tracks and synthetic turf fields.

The 2013 Community Grant Program kept over 1.3 million pounds of rubber out of landfills by contributing more than $800,000.00 towards the use of crumb rubber in projects throughout the province.

To learn more about tire recycling, visit tsbc.ca/videos and to apply for the Community Grant Program, visit tirestewardshipbc.ca.

Tire Stewardship BC (TSBC) is a not-for-profit society formed to accept responsibility for the provincial scrap-tire recycling program. TSBC submitted its Stewardship Plan to the Ministry on August 17, 2006. Ministry approval was received on September 19, 2006. On January 1, 2007 TSBC launched the new scrap-tire recycling program replacing the government-run program that had been in place since 1991.