People who are nostalgic about tire parks may be sad to know that Steinbach’s last one in Giesbrecht Park is slowly being phased out.

Steinbach Parks and Recreation Head Russ Dyck explains why: “Over time the rubber deteriorates, and metal might start protruding which becomes a safety issue. Tires are also known to be a mosquito haven when water gets inside the tires. As the tires fail we replace them with more conventional play equipment.”

Some ruts already leading into the park demonstrate the softness of the ground

This new play structure is part of the city’s playground renewal program, says Dyck, who notes that a certain amount of funds have been allocated to a specific park every year for the past seven years.

While most of the newer equipment was already in place last week, Dyck says the site still awaits the final filling of pea-gravel.

“Right now we’re actually waiting for some colder weather,” comments Dyck, “with the ground being so soft from all of the rain we’ve had in the last month we need a good frost so the [gravel] trucks can drive in without doing significant damage to the turf.” Once the pea-gravel is in place, Dyck indicates that the installation should be finished within a day or two.

These are the three remaining tire structures at Giesbrecht Park which Russ Dyck says will likely be removed as they continue to age