STAFFORD, NJ — A Stafford councilmember voiced concerns about construction of a playground at Stafford Park, saying that the cost was too high and that there were health concerns regarding materials used in a playmat.

Councilmembers were set to vote on a resolution authorizing a contract for park playground equipment to Rubbercycle, LLC.

Originally, the plan for the playground was through an agreement with the Walters Group, and would have had little to no cost, Councilman Paul Krier said at a recent council meeting. Krier's issue was that the materials alone for a playmat, commonly used at playgrounds now instead of mulch, would cost the township $162,537.

"It doesn't include any of the other items that would be required to construct this," Krier said of the quoted price.

He said his primary concern was that the project could cost nearly or more than $200,000 at the time of completion when it initially had no cost to the taxpayer.

"I just don't think in this economy with the inflation and the recession and just all of the challenges that Stafford Township, Ocean County, and the state and federal governments are going to be facing with the regard to the costs involved," Krier said. "I think it's irresponsible for us to go for an ostentatious playmat that's basically a 7,000 square foot doormat."

Krier also expressed concerns about potential health issues stemming from materials in the playmat.

"In addition to the recycled material that make up the playmat, there are some chemicals used for binding the recycled material that can cause substantial issues to hypersensitive people," Krier said.

The Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are currently researching potential health effects of recreational exposures to recycled tires.

"I would be hesitant to allow my kids to play on this if I had littles," Krier said.

He added that he did not understand the need for such a playmat. Krier said that though it had been a long time since he had played on a playground, "I don't recall ever going to the park or over to the playground and going 'no Mommy, I can't play there because it doesn't have a sufficient playmat.'"

Mayor Greg Myhre said that he was not familiar with any potential health issues. "It's pretty common in playgrounds now," he said. "It's actually, I believe, the same stuff that we put in at the new playground over at Manahawkin Lake Park, which has gotten a lot of use."

Myhre said that the mat was to help Stafford's parks to become more accessible to disabled people.

"There are a lot of people that are disabled. So maybe when you were growing up, you didn't have a need for it. But there are a lot of kids that couldn't go on the playground," Myhre said.

Mulch is a good surface for a lot of people, but you can't easily put a wheelchair or walker on there, Myhre said. The playmat offers a better option, he said, not only for children but for their parents and grandparents as well.

"The whole purpose of it was to make it more accessible, providing more opportunity," Myhre said.

Myhre admitted that the cost was more than anticipated, but he thought it was a worthy expense.

"I think it's worth it because you can get more people included," he said.

Myhre said that he wants to get the playground up by early fall so that families can enjoy it while the weather is still warm.

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