FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               

 

CONTACT:

SHANNON GODWIN

515-371-7321

 

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2006

 

Rolla Children Start School with Safer Playground       

 

The first day of school in Rolla Missouri brings with it safer surfacing for the elementary students playing outside at Wyman Elementary today.  The rubber tile surfacing, installed this summer, has been shown to reduce emergency room injuries by 75% when combined with safety training an important statistic considering that 80% of all school injuries happen outside. 

"This summer has been a busy three months", stated Denise Bennett, Senior Program Manager with the National Safe Surfacing Initiative (NSSI).  "In January we launched the Missouri Playground Surfacing Program, a partnership between the NSSI and the Missouri School Board Association (MSBA). Since then, the response has exceeded our expectations.  We've been working with nearly a hundred districts and school administrators to evaluate their critical playground needs. Many of these schools, like Wyman Elementary, have moved forward to improve the safety and accessibility of their outdoor play and fitness environments." 

Susan Bowles, Principal at Wyman Elementary, credited the Missouri Playground Surfacing Program for helping the school design and purchase the surfacing.  Mrs. Bowles stated, "The service provided by the Missouri Playground Surfacing Program was excellent.  Their staff was easy to access and readily available for site visits when we need them.  They provided a flexible payment schedule allowing our school to work this project into our budget."

"The Missouri School Boards Association partners with the National Safe Surfacing Initiative in Macon Missouri to offer the Missouri Playground Surfacing Program to schools statewide," said Jim Cherrington, who administers the playground surfacing program at MSBA.  "The surfacing is the most important piece of safety equipment on the playground", Cherrington continued, "We want to help schools improve the safety and accessibility of Missouri's playgrounds while reducing the long term cost of maintaining them."

The DuroMat Extended Life™ playground safety tiles are made with a patented cold cure process utilizing a special blend of rubber and polymers developed and manufactured by Welch Products.

The National Safe Surfacing Initiative is a subsidiary of Welch Products.  Its mission is to partner with government agencies to improve playground safety for children, provide ADA accessibility in outdoor play and fitness environments, lower maintenance costs for taxpayers and minimize liability risks for school districts and other entities.  The NSSI provides a full portfolio of playground safety audits, inspections, designs, and certifications to bring playground surfacing into compliance with federal and state guidelines.  The NSSI also provides unique financing and fund-raising solutions that enable communities to invest in safer playground surfaces that meet stringent safety certifications.

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