HONESDALE, PA — Passers by may have noticed some changes over the past week to the playground in Honesdale's Central Park. 

Namely, one major change—it's not there anymore. 

The borough of Honesdale removed the playground equipment from Central Park the week of Sunday, Oct. 19. The borough's official announcement said that the playground would be closed starting Oct. 21 "until further notice for necessary repairs."

The immediate impetus for the removal came from a study of the soil in Central Park. That study found elevated levels of zinc and other chemicals in the soil, coming from the tire mulch used as fill material for the playground. The report found a correlation between said zinc levels and the declining health of the trees in Central Park, and called for the mulch's removal. 

While the tire mulch findings prompted the closure, plan had already been swirling to upgrade and improve the playground at Central Park, plans that are now being pushed forward. The current plan calls for the equipment previously at Central Park to find a new home at Veterans Park or Apple Grove, while a new place space designed with accessibility in mind will be constructed in Central Park. 

For the health of the trees

Borough manager Kevin Kundratic worked with Known Grove Sacred Land Stewardship Executive Director Keenan Gruver to conduct said testing on Central Park. Gruver had previously studied the decline of tree health in the park, and had identified two sugar maples close to the playground as non-viable, leading to their being cut down and turned into community art. 

"After analyzing the soil near the trees, it was determined that tire mulch attributed [sic] to the trees dying in the park," said Kundratic. 

Tire mulch, a bedding material made from recycled tires, is widely used as groundcover for children's playgrounds; it's bouncy, and allows kids to fall without the risk of getting hurt. However, the composition of the tires means it's possible for them to leach chemicals into their surroundings. 

"The tests came back with extrordinarily elevated levels of zinc radiating from the children's playground," said Gruver. 

The zine level at a point in Central Park farthest from the playground came back at a 46.55 parts per million (PPM) after testing. Directly under the playground, that level jumped to 797.94 PPM. 

The root system of many of the park's trees, including the deceased trees, pass directly underneath the playground, and directly through that elevated concentration of zinc. According to Gruver, the maximum level in soil allowed for agricultural or ecological use is around 70 PPM, one tenth of what was found under the playground. 

"I would be comfortable saying it has been confirmed scientifically that tire mulch leaches elevated levels of zinc to the level that would be toxic for some plants," said Gruver, describing his findings. 

While the immediate risk from the tire mulch involves plant health, tire-based surfacing has been studied nationally for its potential risks on human health. 

A multi-agency effort including the CDC and the EPA studied the risks of tire crumb surfaces, specifically focusing on the risks to student athletes of tire crumb playing fields. That effort ran from 2016 to 2024; according to the EPA, the concluding study in 2024 found that, while chemical exposures could and did occur, those exposures were likely limited. 

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), part of that multi-agency effort, is currently reviewing the 2024 report specifically to evaluate the hazards of recycled tire rubber in playground surfaces. According to the CPSC, there are no specific chemical hazards identified at this time, but it recommends precautions to limit exposure, including avoiding mouth contact with playground surfacing materials and limiting time at the playground on extremely hot days. 

Next steps for Central Park

Honesdale removed the tire mulch from Central Park following the results of the report, along with the playground equipment itself. What comes next is still a plan in progress. 

According to Jim Hamill, chair of the borough's parks and recreation committee, the borough has discussed for years the possibility of renovating the Central Park playground. 

The current structure left some things to be desired, particularly on the structure's accessibility to people with disabilities and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. "Everything just wasn't ideal," said Hamill. "It was done without much thought back in the day. 

Kundratic said the current plan is to relocate the park equipment to Apple Grove or Veterans Park, and to work on putting in new equipment in Central Park. 

"I have applied for grants and will be seeking donations to put in a new play area that is ADA compliant in Central Park, hopefully by spring," said Kundratic. 

Hamill said the hope with a new playground would be to install a rubbery surface that could be the foundation for several different types of playground equipment, such as a rocker that could fit children in wheel chairs and a metal slide (as plastic slides negatively affect children with cochlear implants).