HOA Negligent? Do-It-Yourself Parents Remove a Playground Hazard

Good News: The Quail Valley HOA is planning to replace an "old" playground (Photo 1) on Bobwhite Circle with a new one, as reported in our community newsletter, The Quill, in September 2021 (quoted in NOTE 1). It hasn't happened yet. Comments are welcome, and I plan to post updates here. UPDATE--DEC 12, 2021. The old structure is gone, and installation of the new playground has begun.

Bad News: A plastic panel has been broken, and parts of it dangle from the wooden posts. (Photo 2) It's an obvious hazard. Why is it left dangling?

A responsible handyman could easily undo three bolts (Photo 3), and then remove the bolts and panel parts. Tightening other bolts would fix the wobbly ladder. Quick and easy. Instead, the HOA draped some yellow plastic CAUTION tape around the structures, but that disintegrated months ago. Kids come to climb and play, as kids do. (See update, 11/21/2021, below).

To their credit, the HOA board of directors has been discussing this playground at monthly meetings, but month after month, the fixable hazard remains.

So, in the meanwhile, as we await a new playground, if we are concerned about the health and safety of children in our community, let's take action to remove the obvious, fixable hazard. Right?

UPDATE: Here is some modest good news at the beginning of December. I just got back from a trip to the midwest. In the absence of a simple fix by the HOA, some residents (parents perhaps?) have removed the broken panel and tightened the bolts holding the ladder. Pliers and screwdriver. Not exactly rocket science. Parents may not be licensed safety inspectors, but we know an obvious danger (a broken plastic panel, a tripping hazard, or glass shards on the sidewalk) when we see it. (NOTE 2) Residents are determined to do more than drape a bit of CAUTION tape around the hazard. If we can, we remove the hazard.

Golly and gosh! Will the HOA now track down and fine these do-gooders for improving a bit of the commonly owned landscape? Pilloried for permission-less citizen use of pliers & screwdriver? Heavens-to-Betsy, what is the world coming to, when parents remove obvious hazards that might harm their children?

People get tired of waiting for their local government, the Quail Valley HOA, to act with common sense or concern for the health and safety of the residents. We get tired of waiting to see a bit of the $600,000 (that we all pay per year in HOA assessments) used for this simple purpose: A handyman with hand tools shows up and removes a hazard on a playground. Sometimes, the adults in the room just stand up, walk outside onto the landscape, and get things done.

** *** **

NOTE 1

Here is the relevant passage from The Quill September 2021 newsletter :

BOBWHITE CIRCLE TOT LOT
The Bobwhite Circle tot lot is going to be replaced soon! In the last newsletter, we asked for your comments on the two options available -- thanks to those who responded! Based on your input, a new playground designed for 2-5 year olds that looks like the one below will be installed. One of the swings will be replaced with a strap swing for older kids. Because of pandemic related supply issues, we are still waiting for the equipment to be shipped but hope that it will be in before Halloween [Oct. 31, 2021].

NOTE 2
Inscribed on the playground itself (Photo 3) is this message:"Eagle Play Structures. 800-609-9966." Did the HOA call that number? I seem to remember that it did, as the playground has been discussed at several monthly meetings. When you do call that number, a human being answers right away and recommends a certified playground safety inspector who can come and examine the playground. Perhaps the HOA called that number? If so, it seems very odd that the broken part was not immediately removed. Simply unbolted and removed. I also wonder if some modest repairs could be done to make this playground usable for another decade, rather than purchasing a whole new set of structures, but that's water under the bridge, the new equipment is on order, and I'm not a safety expert.

** ************ **
Steven Sellers Lapham is a 21-year resident of Quail Valley. He can be reached at
MuskratMusic@gmail.com. The "Living on Cuckoo Court" collection of essays is on Patch.com. Read about the nationwide problem of "HOA corruption, dysfunction, and abuse" at Independent American Communities.