Empty space at Rancho Laguna Park Photo Sophie Braccini

It is a sad sight for any family - the two play structures where young Moragans once bounced, jumped, climbed and swung at Rancho Laguna Park are gone.

"The play structures' posts were decaying, rotting, and were not deemed safe by the engineer from the Municipal Pooling Authority," said Parks and Recreation Director Jay Ingram. The Municipal Pooling Authority (MPA), located in Walnut Creek, provides Risk Management Services to 14 police departments and 20 municipalities mostly located in Contra Costa County.

Since the Town of Moraga does not employ a playground safety inspector, Ingram called the MPA regarding his concerns about the safety of the playground. When an inspector and engineer sent by MPA determined that the playgrounds were no longer safe, the Town removed them immediately. "These structures were built in the 80's and were made of wood," said Ingram, "they had a limited life span." New play structures are now made of steel, aluminum or plastic.

The Town intends to replace the structures, and a sub-committee of the Park and Recreation Commission is tasked with raising some $100,000 by December, so new play structure(s) can be installed by June of 2012.