Safety concerns prompt Norris to close playground
Norris officials on Monday temporarily closed this playground at Eric Harold Memorial Park on Chestnut Drive over safety concerns with part of the play equipment. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
It’s the second time in just over a month that the city has closed a park playground, the first being at Oak Road Park in March.
The issue was the same at both parks, with a piece of the playground equipment found to be deteriorated enough to be considered a safety hazard, said Assistant City Manager Bailey Whited, who oversees the city’s Recreation Department.
At Oak Road Park, repair work was completed and the playground was reopened about a week-and-a-half ago, he said.
“This is a similar issue that was discovered yesterday,” Bailey said Tuesday.
“What we did at Oak Road was to have a piece fabricated to replace the spot that was deteriorating. Now, we’re trying to determine if this is the same issue, or if we could do a smaller repair.”
Eric Harold Park, on Chestnut Drive, is slated to get some major upgrades as part of a parks master plan formulated last year, for which Norris received a $375,000 state parks and recreation grant.
According to the state Department of Environment and Conservation, “The approved scope of [the Norris grant] is the redevelopment of tennis courts into a new complex to include a tennis court, pickleball courts, a new outdoor basketball court, upgrades to the existing restroom, parking, and accessible pathways at [Eric Harold] Memorial Park.”
These are part of an overall plan the city has been developing for park improvements for nearly two years.
Titled the “2024 City of Norris Sport Complex and Park Accessibility Project,” the initial work would include “improvements and reconstruction of various elements of Eric Harold Park and adjacent recreational facilities,” including:
• Development and grading for the construction of a new sport complex.
• Construction of a multi-sport complex with spaces to play tennis, pickleball, and basketball.
• Lighting for the multi-sport complex.
• Refurbishment of the existing restroom structure allowing for two public restrooms (one ADA-compliant).
• Improvements to the pavilion at Eric Harold Park, including replacement of roof.
• Accessibility improvements to parking lots (including new striping and signage) at each facility, and construction of ADA-compliant walkways between and throughout each facility.
• New restrooms for the sport complex.
“In addition to improvements to those facilities, the grant would address accessibility issues at the city’s other two parks, including the construction of ADA-compliant walkways and parking spaces,” the plan stated.
Whited said Tuesday that contracts are being finalized for engineering work on the project, and that it could go out for bids for work to begin this fall.
“We’re aiming to have it completed by next spring or summer (2026),” he said.
