The Elsmere Elementary School PTA has officially begun the fundraising process to purchase a new playground for the school, and hope to get construction started in the summer of 2013.
Playground Committee Co-Vice Presidents Amy Cohen and Robyn Holstein first presented the plan at a PTA meeting in late January. Portions of the current playground are 20 years old and do not meet current safety guidelines, and there’s only one play element available for children with disabilities.
In February, the PTA voted to begin fundraising for repairs and upgrades to the playground. The look and size of the playground will depend on how much money can be raised.
“It’s been really nice to see all of the support forthcoming from the Elsmere community since this idea went public,” said Cohen.
The group is now applying for grants and seeking community support. Independent fundraisers will also be held. In the future, the PTA may ask for volunteers to aid in installing the playground to save money and would also be seeking donated services and materials, like cement and construction equipment.
Parents have been concerned about safety at the playground, and began researching what it would take to make repairs or upgrades to the facility. Some wooden retaining walls are rotting, a tire swing is broken and roped off and some equipment does not meet safety guidelines.
District Operations and Maintenance Director Gregg Nolte said the district makes inspections and minor repairs to playgrounds each year, but sometimes equipment must be removed or roped off because the district does not have the money to replace it.
The tire swing has since been fixed by the district and a parent volunteered the services of his construction company to help replace the retaining walls and re-grade the land with new mulch.
“It’s a really, really wonderful outcome to show that the parents and school district can work together to actually get something done,” said Holstein.
The group sent a letter home to parents seeking help with various fundraising projects.
Donation cans will soon be placed throughout town, and movie nights, fitness days and a hair cut benefit with Elsmere hairdresser Samara Bartula are all scheduled.
But the main fundraiser will be an Elsmere Community Family Day and Silent Auction in both June of 2012 and 2013. The event will be $10 per family and include various family-friendly activities and a neighborhood walk.
The group is seeking items for the auction, screened T-shirts for the walk and help with printing flyers and banners.
Design ideas for the proposed playground call for one large play structure with multiple levels, two or three slides, a rock wall, another climbing element and some independent play options. The plan also calls for landscaping improvements and repairs to current equipment where needed.
An entirely new playground would cost about $100,000. Holstein and Cohen said the plan is to raise $25,000 from the school community, apply for $65,000 in grants and seek an additional $10,000 in donations from local businesses and residents.
If the entire $100,000 can’t be raised, it would take $50,000 to purchase new equipment for the upper playground, replace the large wooden structure and maintain the landscaping.
“Whatever money we raise by June of next year will go toward the equipment. We’re not going to go into debt for a playground,” said Holstein.
The group is also committed to preserving the character of the playground, including the trees integrated into the playground’s aesthetics.
“This is a major concern of ours as well, and we will make every single effort possible to maintain the integrity of them,” read a letter to parents.
Donations are now being accepted. To learn more visit www.elsmereplayground.com.