AMHERST — Concerns over the viability of an unproven surface to be placed beneath a new playground at the new elementary school under construction on South East Street may prompt the use of more traditional safety cushions for children instead, including a combination of wood chips, engineered wood fiber and poured-in-place rubber.
With the playground surface to be installed in April near the elementary school that will open in fall 2026, Bob Peirent, special capital projects coordinator for the town, wrote a memo to Cathy Schoen, chairwoman of the Elementary School Building Committee in advance of a meeting Friday, advising the panel to turn away from a substance known as Corkeen, based on the experience at a school in Easton.
“Is the product viable? Maybe,” Peirent told the building committee. “Do they yet have an organization that can sell and deliver the product reliably? I don’t believe so.”
Peirent wrote that “at the moment the product does not appear to be a good fit for this project” and his recommendation is instead to use an engineered wood fiber as “a short term, marginally accessible surface,” or to change to a poured-in-place rubber surfacing, though that would require approval from the town’s Conservation Commission.
Previously, the Conservation Commission expressed worry about the poured-in-place surface due to the proximity to wetlands and possible leaching of chemicals. The Board of Health also issued an advisory opinion that Amherst should avoid using materials found in poured-in-place rubber.
Peirent suggested that a hybrid engineered wood fiber and poured-in-place solution is an alternative that could be presented to the Conservation Commission to possibly reduce their concerns.
Tim Cooper, a principal with school architect DiNisco Design, presented a backup plan using a combination of engineered wood fiber near the play structures, with poured-in-place rubber in the spaces between.
He said this keeps the site accessible for students, but acknowledged off gassing and contamination leaching will be concerns.
But members of the committee said they worry about this change in plans.
Wood chips, sand and gravel would not be accessible, Wildwood School Principal Allison Esttes said. Some of the Wildwood students, who will be joining Fort River school students at the new school, use wheelchairs. “We really need to make sure to prioritize their access to the playgrounds,” Estes said.
Angelica Bernal, a parent member of the committee, said poured-in-place rubber and woodchips are not appropriate and children with heat and sensory concerns will encounter super hot surfaces, partricularly problematic for children walking barefoot or touching the surface with their hands.
Bernal suggested extensive use of shade structures or changing the surface color to mitigate the heat issue.
Peirent based his observations about Corkeen on a visit and conversations with those in Easton, at the Richardson Olmsted Elementary School.
Within a couple of months of its installation, there was delamination of the surface material, with the Corkeen breaking away from the binder material below, and cracking evident through the surface layer, Peirent said.
Margaret Wood, the owner’s project manager, said Corkeen gets more brittle in cold weather and while used extensively in Texas. that is not comparable to New England weather.
Committee member Bruce Coldham said the committee is not in a position to commit to the company’s product. “I would be persuaded that we should look for an alternative, sadly,” Coldham said.
Even though there are problems in Easton, committee member Deb Leonard said she would like to base a decision on more than one other community.
The topic is expected to be discussed by the committee again in September, possibly after getting feedback from the community.