Central Winds Park playground remains closed as Winter Springs weighs repair costsA large playground at Central Winds Park in Winter Springs has been closed for nearly two months after city staff found rusted equipment during a routine inspection, and officials say it may not reopen anytime soon.

The playground, located inside the city’s 113-acre park, was shut down in August because of safety concerns for children in the area.

“There are some spots and some brackets that have rusted,” said Matt Reeser, communications director for the city of Winter Springs.

Reeser said parks personnel found several areas on the playground that had rusted out and were considered unsafe. The city has not yet decided whether to repair the structure or replace it.“

During a routine inspection by some of our park personnel, they found several areas on the playground that had rusted out and that were deemed unsafe,” Reeser said.

The playground was built in 2006 at a cost of about $200,000, according to the city.

Reeser said repairs in a future fiscal year could cost upward of $70,000. A full replacement cost breakdown hasn’t been explored by the city yet.

City officials said the decision is complicated by broader budget concerns, including what happens with Amendment 3 during the election. Reeser said the city wants to make sure it can afford either option before committing money to the project.

“With Amendment 3 coming along and budget uncertainty with some aspects of things, wanted to really take a look at it and make sure that we could actually either afford to replace it or to fix it,” he said.

Officials are also weighing whether repairing the aging playground would be the best use of parks resources.

“At what point do you replace it and at what point do you just fix it?” Reeser said. “And are you throwing bad money after good?”

For now, the playground remains closed while the city reviews its options. Winter Springs officials are expected to meet again at the end of October to discuss the budget and determine which major projects will be priorities going forward.