Preserve the natural sand at Mattocks Park playground

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The Issue

*Please see update 9/2/26 - sand to stay for now*

 

My children and I have played in the sand at Mattocks Park playground for almost a decade. We’ve spent hours digging, building, and exploring with our hands in the natural medium. While I may have groaned over the messy clean-ups, I always felt the creative aspect of the sand was worth it. From a safety standpoint the sand also provided a layer of protection as they leapt from swings and slid down from great heights.

Recently the city announced plans to replace the sand with "engineered wood fiber". Out of all the bullet points provided from the city, the only one that irrefutably makes sense is that sand is less ADA compliant. Mattocks Park should be a welcome place for every child regardless of physical ability to safely engage in play. Engineered wood fiber requires yearly maintenance and diligent upkeep to maintain that ADA compliance. This level of commitment is something the city has lacked in the past.

Replacing the sand with engineered wood fiber might seem like a minor change, but it would take away an element of childhood that is full of digging castles and burying treasures, the essence of what makes childhood magical. Next time you are at a sandy park or beach, take note of how kids are playing in the sand. Would they be playing like that in a pile of wood chips?

We urge the city council and parks department to reconsider this decision. Instead of removing the sand, let's invest in the maintenance of our existing playground facilities, ensuring safety without sacrificing the traditional joys of sand play. Join us in preserving the natural sand at Mattocks Park playground.

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Will GengPetition Starter
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The Decision Makers

Saura Jost
Saura Jost
St. Paul City Council - Ward 3
Responded
““St. Paul Parks & Recreation is phasing out the use of sand as a playground surfacing material across our city. These alternative surfacing options help make playgrounds more welcoming for a wider range of families, improve safety and accessibility, and support the long-term durability of our playground equipment. Engineered wood fibers are now standard practice across this sector. I understand and appreciate the concerns that have been raised. Many children enjoy playing in the sand, and as a parent myself, I understand that connection. I take my son to Mattocks Park regularly and have enjoyed watching him play there since he was a baby. The reasons for this change include: • Improves safety by providing more resilient impact protection than sand. • Reduces maintenance needs and ongoing operational challenges. • Eliminates common hazards associated with sand for park users and maintenance staff. • Enhances accessibility, especially when paired with ADA-compliant playground designs. • Creates a better play environment with more consistent surfacing and fewer uneven areas. • Extends playground life by supporting long-term asset management and equipment lifespans. • Aligns with modern playground safety standards, which favor engineered wood fiber and other resilient surfacing options over sand. • Works well alongside rubber surfacing systems to improve overall playground performance and user experience. As a parent, I also recognize that playground surfaces affect families in different ways. For example, in my experience as the mother of a child with thick, curly hair, sand can be challenging and difficult to manage. These updates can help create a more comfortable and welcoming experience for a broader range of children and caregivers. Our neighborhood parks should be safe, accessible, and welcoming spaces for everyone. Those are values we share as a city, and they are the reasons I support this change.” [Note: The Change.org Civic Engagement Team reaches out to decision makers to let them know about petitions in their community and to help facilitate engagement with supporters. The above was an email response we received regarding this petition.]”
Andy Rodriguez
Andy Rodriguez
Parks and Recreation Director at Crosby Farm Regional Park
Responded
“Thanks to everyone who has reached out to me about Mattocks Park. I’ve had a chance to hear directly from park users and immediate neighbors, and I want to provide an update on where things stand. I’ve decided to pause the proposed safety surface, drainage, and ADA improvements that we had been working to move forward with on an accelerated timeline and use time over the winter to have additional conversations with the community about what we are proposing, why we are proposing it, and what the future of Mattocks looks like for the community. A lot of the discussions I have had personally or seen online have really centered around three things: The value of sand as a play feature, what sand does and does not provide as a safety surface, and what Mattocks Park means to the people who use it and live around it. I think all three are worth talking about. There is a larger shift happening across parks and recreation systems, as well as in our own school district, away from using sand as a safety surfacing option. We also have ADA and accessibility requirements that we need to consider across the park system. At the same time, we have to be realistic about our resources. We don’t have unlimited funding to replace every playground or make every improvement at once. Mattocks was built in 2001 and ranks in the top ten in our system for care and investment needs. It was due for some level of improvement, and we had proposed a quicker timeline because we typically try to do this type of work during the non-peak season due to the heavy use that we see at our parks and play areas. For complete playground replacements, we have generally been averaging two to three per year using a combination of funding sources and, in some cases, private contributions. I don’t have a timeline for a full play area replacement at Mattocks yet, but I am actively looking at what might be possible. We also know there is equipment at Mattocks that needs to be repaired. Those issues have been identified through our regular playground inspections and through community members contacting us. We have ordered the necessary parts to make these standalone repairs, although we ask for your patience since timelines can be longer with an older playground system. In the meantime, we will also be topping off the existing sand in the play area soon so that we can maintain the appropriate depth and safety standards while we take additional time to determine the right long-term approach for the park. So, where does that leave us? We are pausing the proposed improvements. We are going to take the winter to keep talking with the community. We will continue addressing repairs to the existing equipment, maintain the existing sand surface, and I’ll continue looking at funding and timing for larger improvements to the playground. Best, Andy Rodriguez Director [Note: The Change.org Civic Engagement Team reaches out to decision makers to let them know about petitions in their community and to help facilitate engagement with supporters. The above was an email response we received regarding this petition.]”
Kaohly Her
Kaohly Her
St. Paul City Mayor

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Petition created on August 27, 2026