Pictures: New Equipment for Springfield Parks

Children and parents using may have noticed a new look to Springfield's playgrounds. Over the summer, three of the Township's playgrounds received major renovations.

The playgrounds at Denham, Laurel and Smithfield parks have all gotten a facelift, with newer, safer equipment, at no cost to Springfield.

"We used grant money from the county," Department of Parks and Recreation Director Mike Tennaro said. "It's taken from the Kids Recreation Trust Fund, and the county is matching it with money from a capital improvement fund."

Founded in 2004, the Kids Recreation Trust Fund provides Union County municipality with money for need-based recreation scholarships, athletic equipment, and facility improvements. The previous playground equipment, while still usable and safe, did not fit new playground standards.

"They were just older pieces of equipment that weren't up to the new codes," Tennero said.

The new pieces are designed to cushion the impact of children falling; they include a wood carpet underneath the equipment and a plastic border around the playgrounds