Playground proposed for common area

One of the first projects I got involved with after joining the board was replacing the playground equipment- a lot more involved than you think. The first one came from a home improvement store and the first thing we learned was that you need one designed for commercial use because of all the wear and tear. You can contact the local parks department in your area fir some referrals

You don't just plop it on the grass - the equipment has to sit on a type of rubber mulch to prevent serious injury when kids jump or fall off. The area will need to be a certain size and you'll need to determine if this will serve little kids (e.g. 5 and under) or older children, because some equipment works better for certain age groups.

Because people in HOAs sue over everything from a ham sandwich to misuse of proxies in a board election, you'll need to talk to the master insurance company to see how this playground will affect your premiums. It will also need to be factored into reserve funding for eventually replacement and the operating budget for maintenance.

And we haven't even talked about people complaining about noise, trash and vandalism (in my community, teenagers and/or young adults stole the chains from the swings and trapeze bars on our set to use as weapons for God knows what). Not to mention the cost, concerns about non residents monopolizing the space, etc.

None of this is being said to discourage you - it's about doing your homework because a small playground can be a nice addition to the community. Start with having a town hall meeting on the subject - right now it's probably too much for a regular agenda item for a board meeting. At a town hall, you can hear about the pros and cons, and the board could then charter a special advisory committee to explore the idea in detail and me recommendations to the board. From there, homeowners could vote on whether to move forward.

Part of the research could include taking a look at the regulations the consumer products safety commission has on the subject - https://www.cpsc.gov/ We hadn't even thought of that until our president started doing sone research (he had young kids and therefore wanted a replacement set)

I live in an HOA that is primarily seniors. A minority proposed adding play equipment to a common area because their grand kids had nothing to do when they visited.

My point of view on this was the community has a rather extensive park system, the HOA doesn’t operate to serve visitors, the initial and continuing maintenance costs, increased liability involved with play equipment and unregulated use by the public.

The minority was just that and the issue never made further. At some point, you have to gauge the percentage of the community who want this and be prepared to just say no.

Not to mention if there is a lack of restroom facilities for children/families to use. What a bout parking if the playground is a destination amenity that may be too far to walk for some families with small children?

I agree with Jack on the playground. The issue of liability can be covered by insurance easily, but playgrounds can encourage trespassing and increased non-resident/dues payer access and use of your property. I would also agree that adding a playground would only benefit a small percentage of your community, so don't let the "loudness" of the request make you think there's a high demand.