Tag: Picnic Tables

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Tips for Buying “Green” With Your Government Credit Card

With your government credit card in hand, you have the opportunity to help the environment while buying products that meet your facility’s needs.

Federal agencies are being encouraged to buy products that are made with recycled content, have less packaging, are energy efficient, don’t create hazardous waste, and incorporate other environmentally preferred characteristics.

Buying Products with Recycled Content:

Recycled content products contain “recovered materials” or “post-consumer materials” or both. “Recovered materials” means materials that have been removed or diverted from solid waste – in other words, trash – including solid waste created by manufacturers. “Post-consumer materials” are materials that we discard at home and at work that are separated or diverted for recycling instead of going to a landfill. Whatever your job, you will most likely be asked to purchase products from recycled materials. Employees in facilities and maintenance may be asked to purchase park benches and picnic tables. Both of these products can be made with recycled content.

Buying Products with Reduced Packaging:

Packaging is a significant solid waste problem. Approximately 23.7% of the volume and 19.4% of the weight in materials found in city landfills is attributed to just packaging alone. The amount of trash we generate can be reduced simply by buying products with reduced packaging. Consider buying a larger quantity in a single box rather than smaller quantities in multiple boxes.

There will be many situations where you will need to buy products containing hazardous materials but by avoiding them when possible, we can work together to reduce the amount of unnecessary waste in landfills and support the manufacturing of products using recycled materials.

Give us a call at 877.777.3700 for a list of ParknPool’s products that contain recycled content.

ParknPool | Lexington, VA | sales@parknpool.com | 877.777.3700

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Site Furnishings to Compliment your Style

There are multiple resources for finding the right site furnishings for your public space, let ParknPool be one of them for you!

In areas where municipal officials or hired contractors are charged with maintaining and developing spaces such as parks and public gardens, they not only need to offer attractive site furnishings but also keep an eye on the budget assigned. How the space is furnished can often be the key element leading to financial stability and community satisfaction.

Site amenities should be based on comfort and user friendliness, choosing one piece over another depends on the overall style and design of the space. For example, in some areas movable tables and chairs are more suitable than permanent mounted site amenities. Also, an attractive color can enliven a space and attract people to use it but comfort is an important factor in purchasing a park bench or picnic table.

Materials:

Choosing materials should be based on the application with durability maintenance and product life at top of mind. Common durable materials include steel, aluminum, concrete, recycled plastic, or wood. There are also plastic coated options that provide the added benefit of color to park benches, picnic tables, trash receptacles and playgrounds.

Choosing:

Observing how people use amenities will help in selecting the right kind for your particular area. For example, keep in mind that two-seat benches where there may be only one person sitting at each bench creates a waste of seating. There are also special considerations depending on the environment, such as:

  • Urban Areas – Urban furnishings need to stand up to vandalism.
  • Freezing Areas – Snow load capacity needs to be considered. Drinking fountains need to be shut down.
  • Coastal Areas – Saltwater can affect certain materials.

Themes and Designs:

Certain companies (hint, hint: ParknPool) work very well with their clients to provide them with site amenities and furnishings with a personal touch. Manufacturers can offer custom plaques, add special designs into steel, and provide custom labels for added messaging. Common requests include radius benches to fit specific areas, wall-mounted benches or even benches with a more unique design.

Maintenance:

Maintenance is essential in all public areas. Choosing furniture and amenities that are easy to clean and store will help your maintenance crew. Products that are low maintenance can be a better deal than some of their more expensive counterparts, it all depends on how much time and resources you can devote to the upkeep.

Accessibility:

As in all other public areas, accessibility also needs to be considered in outdoor areas as well. Keep in mind that the ADA recommends measurements for space under tables for wheelchair accessibility but there are no official guidelines for benches. Certain considerations can also be made to accommodate for older or disabled individuals such as height of the armrests and the placing of any seating areas (preferably near walkways and paths).

In the end, when furnishing a park or recreational area, it’s important to provide plenty of places for people to picnic, enjoy the views, rest their feet and throw away their trash!

ParknPool | Lexington, VA | sales@parknpool.com | 877.777.3700

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Designing a Camping or Picnic Area

Common recreation site furnishings found in a camping or picnic area include picnic tables, fire rings and grills.

The best of these furnishings require little-to-no maintenance, have a long lifespan, are easy to clean, and are difficult for vandals to damage. These furnishings also must be convenient, easy to use and safe. It is best to avoid items with protruding objects or sharp corners that could injure users.

Picnic Tables: While many travelers and campers bring their own grill or stove, few actually carry a picnic table. Because of this, it is a good idea to provide picnic tables in campgrounds and on trails where day use is encouraged. Tables are available commercially in wood, metal, concrete, recycled plastic and plastic coated expanded metal. Select table material based on your area’s level of development, climate and amount of vandalism expected.

Grills and Fire Rings: Fire rings are essential at camp sites because they reduce fire hazards and make maintenance easier. Since, in most areas, evening use is not encouraged at picnic arears, fire rings are generally not necessary there. Fire rings with a hinged base so the cooking grate can be tilted back to clean out the ashes are the most preferred type. In addition, many accessible fire rings have an expanded metal barrier around the perimeter to keep campers from leaning against the hot surface. Grills are needed in campgrounds and may be installed at day-use trails. Pedestal styles are designed at a level comfortable for most users, and are also the most common. The best models have a cooking grate that is hinged and can be raised and lowered. Some models include lids to reduce cooking time and to keep food warm. Rotating grills and shelves for utensils are also available.

The most common campsite is the single-party camp site, other options include double-party camp sites, several-party camp sites and group camps. For more information on designing a campsite or picnic area call ParknPool at 877.777.3700 to speak with one of our sales managers.

ParknPool | Lexington, VA | sales@parknpool.com | 877.777.3700