Kirbyville School District Receives DNR Grant

The Kirbyville School District recently completed playground upgrades that were financed in part by a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources in the amount of $10,000. The Scrap Tire Surfacing Material Grant awarded from the Solid Waste Management Fund, was used towards the purchase of rubber tiles that are used as a safe, resilient playground surface.

The district replaced the former loose fill surfacing with over 2,300 square feet of DuroMat Extended Life Rubber Playground Safety Tiles under a new piece of equipment and an existing piece that met the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The total cost of the playground-surfacing product including delivery and installation was just over $26,000. With these playground improvements and others completed during the previous school year, the elementary playground is completely accessible with the exception of one playground area and much safer than it was with its previous pea-gravel surfacing. The future goal is to continue improving the playground until it is completely accessible.

Besides providing complete handicapped accessibility to the playground equipment, research shows that these safety tiles reduce serious injuries on the playground by 75%. The surface does not freeze, dries quickly and stays cleaner increasing the number of days the playground is usable by the students. Finally, the DuroMat Extended Life Rubber Playground Safety Tiles are made through a patented process using 100% Missouri scrap tires, which turns an environmental problem into a useful product.

Elementary principal, Addie Gaines, commented that the district has been pleased with the tile surfacing, adding, “While careful adult supervision and appropriate use of playground equipment are always key components to keeping students safe on a playground, this surfacing has added another dimension of safety to protect our kids from injury when the inevitable slips and falls that are a part of childhood happen.” No students were seriously injured on the Kirbyville Elementary playground last school year.

Gaines stated, “Each year we train our students about appropriate playground equipment use on the first day of school. Last year I told the students about how our new tiles were made from recycled tires that no one could use anymore. I was pleased when we toured our new areas and I asked students that were here last year if anyone remembered what the tiles were made of and the students who volunteered to answer the question recalled the fact they were made of recycled tires. I think it is great that they can personally experience the benefits of recycling through the daily use of this product.”

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