How Metallic Is Your Neighborhood Park?

You can learn a lot by strolling through a neighborhood park. You see which parents scream at their kids and which ones don’t bother to keep their kids from throwing each other off the jungle gym. You smell hot dogs burnt to a crisp by a first-time griller and well-seasoned burgers grilled by an expert outdoor cook. You see how much (or how little) attention the town puts toward taking care of the grounds and keeping up the facilities. And at some parks, you can see many uses for custom metal products. That’s right. Let’s stroll around a particular park and find all the custom metalwork “hiding,” sometimes literally right under your feet.

Ever walk over a cement-covered plaza area and wonder how the trees can grow seemingly right out of the concrete? If you take a closer look at a tree, you’ll see small metal grates covering a circular space around the base. This profile bar tree grating keeps the ground clean and flat while letting plenty of water through to nourish the tree. The tree roots have space to expand underneath the grating.

Let’s keep walking through the park’s plaza. Want a piece of gum? Don’t throw the wrapper on the ground—you wouldn’t want to hurt the environment (not to mention receive a $500 fine for littering). Throw it away in the trash can to your left. Hold on, now, and take a closer look at the trash can. See anything interesting? No, I’m not talking about the 2-day-old banana peel. Look at the construction. It’s a metal v-wire trash can, made by a custom metalworking company. This durable receptacle blends well with the environment and keeps pesky critters away.

As we move on, I’m getting tired from all this walking. Time to sit down on a bench, relax, and enjoy the scenery. Look, more metal! You just can’t get away from the metal work around here. This profile bar bench, mounted on a wooden base, looks rather snazzy. The simple curve in the design is aesthetically pleasing and blends well with the surroundings.

Well, let’s get up and move on. You know, I was just thinking about the all-day downpour we had yesterday. The park seems very dry, so they must have a well-built drainage system. Look at the ground, and you’ll see a conduit running through the concrete, covered with thin metal grates. The rainwater flows straight through the grates, into the conduits, and out of the park.

It’s been a fun adventure walking through the park with you, pointing out all the custom metal work. Before you leave, stop under that booth area over there and grab a brochure, which will tell you about the many uses of metal in this park. And take a look up at the roof of the booth—you’ll see a decorative profile bar structure. Gotta go. I’ve got my bike parked at the perforated metal bike rack near the entrance.