"No safe level" of lead: Durham residents fight for safe playgrounds after closures

Residents in Durham are demanding a solution from the City Council to ensure safe play areas for children.

Several sections of five parks remain closed due to lead contamination in the soil.

"There is no safe level of lead in the human body," Dr. Lauren Eaves, Walltwon resident and scientist said. "Children are especially vulnerable, and once children have been exposed, there is very little we can do to remediate the effects."

Remediating the issue will cost money the Parks and Rec Department has asked for 1 million dollars for each of the five parks in next year budget.

This week, residents at the city's budget public hearing say that's just a first step.

"It must be part of a much larger commitment to a multi-year plan that includes strategic engagement with residents in impacted neighborhoods," Hunter said.

Council Member Nate Baker tells me he wants residents to be a part of this process.

"My hope and what I'm going to advocate for is that there is some steering committee or working group that involves residents in a meaningful way," Nate Baker, Durham City Council Member, said.

50 miles away in Greensboro, elected officials are staring down a price tag of 24 to 35 million dollars to remediate a 12-acre park built on an old landfill and incinerator site-
while that spot is larger than what Durham is dealing with,

One million dollars per park likely will not cover the total cost of fixing the issue.

"Part of the solution is going to be spending money, and that money can't all come from the city," Baker said. "It's going to have to come from other partners."

All five city parks qualify for the state's pre-regulatory landfill program.

State staff are doing more testing and research to determine how to prioritize different parks.