Incorporation of Shade In All Terra Pad Recreation Solutions Projects

As summer heats up, we all want to be comfortable when we watch a baseball game, sit at a music venue, see our children play, and enjoy a good meal amongst friends and family. So why don't we see more safe, UV protecting, and cooling shades around our neighborhoods, athletic arenas, and public parks...its COMING, and by Terra Pad Recreation Solutions.


The 4 primary reasons for shade products are:

• Heat Reduction
• UV Protection
• Hail
• Mitigation of Fading, and Preservation of Equipment

Superior Shade, Inc., an industry manufacturing and design leader in commercial and residential shade systems and our shade vendor, explains on their website:

HEAT REDUCTION

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advises parents to check for hot surfaces on metal playground equipment before allowing young children to play on it. Solid steel decks, slides or steps in direct sunlight may reach temperatures high enough to cause serious contact burn injuries in a matter of seconds.
CPSC knows of incidents in which children suffered second and third degree burns to their hands, legs and buttocks when they sat on metal stairs, decks or slides. Young children are most at risk because, unlike older children who react quickly by pulling away their hands or by getting off a hot surface, very young children may remain in place when they contact a hot surface.
(Source: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/5036.html)

UV PROTECTION

One in five Americans develops skin cancer during his or her lifetime. The American Cancer Society estimates that there will be more than 60,000 new cases of melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer) in the US in 2008. Sun exposure during childhood accounts for 80% of the total lifetime sun exposure. The average child under the age 16 gets 3 times more sun exposure than the average adult annually. Early sun exposure is a major risk factor for melanoma. It is also one of the major risk factors for other forms of cancer and early aging of the skin. You can make a difference by providing outdoor sun protection. Parents, schools, child care center and teachers have a responsibility to protect children by providing shade and teaching the children the benefits of sun protection.

HAIL AND EQUIPMENT PROTECTION

Around 4,800 hail storms strike the United States annually. Property damage in 2001 from hail topped out at over $2.4 billion. The average cost to repair a hail-damaged vehicle is over $1500.00.


Our firm, Terra Pad Recreation Solutions, provides in depth design expertise, custom renderings, superimposed shade systems on photographs, site plans and layouts, ROI analysis for fee based parking shades, stamped engineering in all 50 states, as well as presentation materials for fundraising, benefactors, and donors.

For more information please visit the website or toll free number below.

Terra Pad Wear Mat Solutions for High Traffic Areas on Playgrounds

High traffic areas on commercial playgrounds are continually plagued by displacement of the loose fill material meant to protect children from injury. Wear mats are a safe, economical, convenient solution to this maintenance issue.


Afterall, when a community, city parks department, HOA, school, or civic organization commits time, resources and energy to building safe, accessible play environments, we want children to use them, and enjoy the play value. With that continued use, there are subsequent maintenance issues inherent in that high traffic utilization, primarily "kickout" of the loose fill material designed and installed to protect children from impacts to the surface.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, (CPSC) reports that "falls to surfaces are responsible for more than 70 percent of the injuries sustained on playgrounds. Improper surfacing is the leading cause of many of those injuries. Acceptable surfaces include hardwood fiber/mulch, pea gravel and sand. Other options include synthetic surfaces such as rubber tiles, mats or poured surfaces. Loose-fill surfaces may need to be pushed back underneath equipment for adequate cushioning if the material has been moved or pushed to the edge of the play area. Cushioned surfacing should be provided under all equipment and its fall zone."

A simple, economical solution to this displacement under slide exits, tire swings, to-fro swings, spinner bowls, overhead ladders, chim up bars, and spring riders are Terra Pad wear mats. These pads, made from 100% recycled tire buffings, with UV inhibiting binder, are an effective way to add color and increased utilization, prevent 4-9 tires from disposal in landfills, while eliminating the need for continued maintenance. All models come in standard black, green, terra cotta, grey, and blue.

Increase the play value of a playground, eliminate costly and time consuming maintenance, and help the environment, and visit Terra Pad Recreation Solutions.