SUN CITY – Teak is out, plastic is in, for outdoor furniture at Tall Oaks Tennis Courts and Eakin Field in Sun City.
The Community board of directors made that decision at its final regular meeting of 2015 on December 2.
The board also explored the possibility of refinishing the worn out teak furniture at the two locations, but rejected this idea.
“We would spend more in four years doing that and maintaining the furniture then we would purchasing new pieces,” said board member Dennis O’Leary. He is board liaison to the Facilities Advisory Committee, which researched all of its options before making a recommendation to the board.
All seven directors approved O’Leary’s recommendation that the board spend $17,890 to buy all new furniture for the two recreational sites.
“Ordering now will get us off-season discounts and possibly some more discounts later when it comes to paying this bill,” O’Leary said.
The price was not the lowest submitted by several vendors, O’Leary said, but it was considered the best value over the next several years. When questioned by fellow board member Bill Berendt about not going for the lowest bid, O’Leary said the furniture offered at lower prices was not as sturdy, not as well designed, and contained some sharp edges which could snag a person’s clothes or their bodies.
Board member Ken Andersen asked if there was any alternative to simply throwing all the old teak furniture out. After a short discussion, it was agreed to ask Executive Director Deanna Loughran to explore the possibility of donating or selling the old furniture.
O’Leary also said going to plastic instead of teak would not set a new precedent for the future.
“We already have some new furniture in Prairie Lodge that is plastic,” he said.
In a related move, the board revealed that it would not pursue purchase of metal roofing for APN neighborhood buildings. O’Leary said the committee and staff talked to a roofing consultant and a contractor to get information, prices, and recommendations about changing from asphalt shingles to various kinds and brands of metal roofing.
“The consultant did not recommend steel or galvanized iron roofing because of the risk of rust when the material is scratched or worn, and because of a shortage of metal roofing installers in the Chicago area,” O’Leary said. “He said metal roofing is not done much in Chicago.”
O’Leary also said the contractor told the staff that galvanized steel roofing would cost nearly $64,000 for all the APN buildings in Sun City, compared to about $26,000 for asphalt shingles.
