Damage has been identified in the poured-in-place rubber surface at the Rotary All Children’s Playground in Centennial Park, Cedarburg, only months after the play area opened to the public. The playground began welcoming families in May, but city officials have confirmed that the surface was installed incorrectly and will require replacement.
According to Danny Friess, Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry for the City of Cedarburg, the issue is known and will be addressed by the contractor responsible for the installation. Friess stated that the company will cover the full cost of removing and replacing the damaged surfacing, with the work scheduled to take place in spring.
The new playground replaced the original All Children’s Playground, a large wooden accessible structure constructed in 1991. That earlier playground was dismantled in March 2022 following assessments that found it to be in poor condition. A 2017 five-year Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan for the City of Cedarburg documented several concerns, including non-compliant access points under the Americans with Disabilities Act, damaged and unsafe areas, and excessive spacing between pickets that posed safety risks. As a result, the city determined that a full replacement was necessary.
