Safer Surface Playground Dedication, Training Session a Big Success at Gilmore City-Bradgate

GILMORE CITY – Gilmore City-Bradgate faculty and staff received playground supervision training and the community celebrated the installation of a safer playground last week through a partnership between the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Association of School Boards and the school district.

 

Iowa Senate President Jack Kibbie, an Emmetsburg Democrat, attended the dedication ceremony held on a chilly November afternoon following classes. Kibbie and state Rep. Dolores Mertz, an Ottosen Democrat, are among the legislators who have supported funding for a safer surfacing pilot project in past years that was a forerunner to the current partnership.

 

District Superintendent Ron Bollmeyer said the grant program paid for 1,100 square feet of the recycled rubber tiles that were part of the district’s ongoing playground safety upgrade, which included additional tiles and new equipment. While the play area surfacing and equipment conform to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements, the project also provided an opportunity for students to learn about the benefits of recycling.

 

“It was a real honor to have Senator Kibbie to join us and members of the community to dedicate a playground that has already provided students with so much fun – and is bound to keep on giving to the district for years to come,” Bollmeyer said.  “We appreciate the partnership and its results very much.”

 

The project is part of the Iowa Scrap Tire Market Development Program; School Playground Safe Surfacing Initiative funded by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and administered in cooperation with the Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB). To receive the grant assistance, schools were required to hold an educational program showcasing the long-term benefits of environmental responsibility and recycling Iowa scrap tires.

 

“I’m proud of the Gilmore City-Bradgate faculty and staff members for their initiative to make their school grounds safer by applying for the state grant,” Kibbie said.  “The fact that Gilmore City-Bradgate is one of only 22 schools statewide to receive funding this year is a testament to their hard work and resourcefulness. I’m also pleased that the kids have a chance to see firsthand how recycling can improve our daily lives.”

 

Welch Products, a Carlisle firm that manufactures playground safety tiles with recycled rubber and a patented production process, is the IASB’s designee responsible for the design layout and installation. Welch’s subsidiary, the National Safe Surfacing Initiative, helped ensure the playground surface is fully compliant under ADA requirements.

 

Company vice president Tim Mahoney said a 2006 study of 51 playgrounds installed during 2003 through 2005 through an Iowa legislative research grant showed a 75-percent reduction in more-serious playground injuries as a result safer rubber tile surfacing and additional safety training.

 

DNR Land Quality Bureau Chief Brian Tormey stated, “We are enthusiastic about the schools and our combined role in this recycling initiative focused on creating viable end-product markets for scrap tires while also demonstrating to our school children the true benefits of recycling.”

 

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LoneStar Swine Staff Attends AALAS Annual Conference in Indianapolis

 SIOUX CENTER – The staff of LoneStar Laboratory Swine will attend the 59^th annual American Association of Laboratory Animal Science National Meeting in Indianapolis this coming week.

 

“LoneStar already is a recognized and respected leader in the production of laboratory swine but we’ve made substantial investments in facility upgrades and customer service that will be well received by current and prospective customers. The AALAS session is recognized as the premier forum for the exchange of information and expertise in the care and use of laboratory animals, and it’s difficult to imagine a more receptive audience for the rollout of the ‘new’ LoneStar,” said Troy Arends, the company’s director.

 

The American Association for Laboratory Animal Science is a nonprofit membership group dedicated to the humane care and treatment of laboratory animals and the quality research that leads to scientific gains that benefit people and animals.  Every year, its national meeting features more than 200 educational presentations on a wide range of issues of interest to members and other professionals.

 

“I think there will be a great deal of interest in the details of our enhanced customer service, the expansion of our herd and our new facility,” Arends said.

 

Founded in 1993 by two veterinarians with decades of experience in swine medicine and research, LoneStar Laboratory Swine has developed an impressive closed-herd of Yucatan Miniature swine to meet specialized research needs. 

Preeminent research facilities especially prefer LoneStar’s Yucatan Miniature swine for longer-term research, because their smaller size, stable growth rate, lower feeding costs and proportionally smaller housing needs.

 

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