WINDHAM – Like a child swinging high into the air, fundraising efforts for a new playground at the Windham Primary School are reaching new heights mere weeks into the campaign.

According to Michelle Jordan, coordinator of the Windham Primary School Playground Fund, donations reached the $15,000 mark earlier this week, and Hancock Lumber has pledged to donate the equivalent of about $25,000 worth of wood chips to line the proposed playing area.

The playground dates to the construction of the primary school 22 years ago. Jordan said the equipment wouldn’t meet current requirements for safety or accessibility. The playground’s age and condition are an ongoing issue, and parents and community members are hoping to replace the equipment and redesign the entire area to enhance recess activities as well as field needs.

The fundraising committee, about a dozen members strong, put out a general call for donations and kicked off a formal effort with the help of Windham-based Cross Insurance and Lee’s Family Trailer, which have offered a $500 cash prize for those who purchase a $10 raffle ticket. Other fundraising efforts include a Kids Night Out beach party with pizza and beach-related activities, as well as a penny drive that has so far raised more than $1,000.

Some parents have taken on a large chunk of the purchase. Wendy and William Wardell, whose daughter, Ava, is in kindergarten, donated $800 to purchase monkey bars.

“We did it because we just wanted to help out,” Wendy Wardwell said. “Both my husband and I had gone through the Windham school system and we’re raising our kids here and we just thought it would be a good place to give a donation to.”

Ava is excited about the prospects, as well.

“It’s going to be fun,” she said, referring particularly to the monkey bars, which is her favorite piece of equipment, and the fields. “It’s very special.”

According to Jordan, a parent and volunteer coordinator at the K-3 primary school, a revamped play space is needed since the existing two playgrounds feature poor drainage, are showing their age and don’t offer handicapped access.

“The equipment itself has been well maintained. The problem we have is the land around it, and the equipment is just old. It’s not accessible. It’s built for a one-size-fits-all child, but we don’t have one-size-fits-all children,” she said.

Some kids aren’t able to use some of the equipment because they’re too small. There is peeling paint, and pieces of the equipment break and need replacement. Two weeks ago, a plastic plank bridge broke and required repair.

Jordan said the playground fundraising committee’s goal is to raise $50,000, which is about half the total cost of the new equipment. She said the school board is deliberating whether to put the remaining money in the budget, paid during the course of five years, a prospect board member Toby Pennels said is still up in the air.

Pennels praised the fundraising efforts and said the board must decide how to proceed with traffic-pattern issues at the primary school and that earth-moving equipment could be used to redesign the playground areas in conjunction with the road work.

“So the board is trying to figure out how to proceed given these various issues,” he said.

Meanwhile, fundraising efforts are ongoing to reach the $50,000 mark. She said that the $15,000 raised so far plus Hancock Lumber’s contribution already proves there’s support for the project.

“We set a goal of $50,000. We felt like that was fair to say to the school board so they will provide the other half of the money,” Jordan said. “We’re also looking to do a community build, where parents and others can help build the playground, and that will help reduce the cost as well.”

Playground specs

Jordan says the new playground area would have two playgrounds with equipment appropriate for different sizes of children, two sets of swings, a baseball field, basketball court and large grass play area. The entire area would be fenced in.

The school, which is in session 175 days a year from 8 a.m.-3 p.m., would use the area primarily for recess, and the community could use it the rest of the time, an added benefit, Jordan said.

“With all the discussion in town about places for teams to play and kids to get outside, this project not only is going to provide our primary school students with a great new play area but also provide our community with a wonderful play space,” Jordan said.

She said the new fields, which are tailored to smaller kids, would be a go-to spot for lacrosse, T-ball and soccer.

The fence is an added benefit, as well, said Kyle Rhoads, principal of the primary school.

“It will be fenced in, which I believe parents should feel really good about. Someone right now can park in the parking lot and walk right onto the playground,” he said.

The fence will help with supervising the children during recess as well, he said.

“It’s security for kids since we’re able to better supervise them if they’re in an enclosed area,” he said, adding that later recesses often overlap with high school teams practicing on nearby fields. A fence would provide some buffer.

Rhoads, a principal for about five years who has fielded many complaints about the play space in that time, is impressed with the fundraising efforts so far.

“I am impressed with the way this community, in a very short time, has shown its support,” he said. “It’s got to be noticed and recognized that these are dire economic times we are in, but the amount of support that has been shown demonstrates not just the need but the desire to do something.”

Michelle Jordan, a Windham Primary School parent, is spearheading the $50,000 fundraising effort to build a new, larger consolidated playground at the school. Photos by Rich Obrey

Peeling paint and rusting hardware are not the only problems on the two playgrounds at Windham Primary School. The planned improvements would increase access for physically challenged kids, include equipment appropriately sized for younger kids, and consolidate the playground into a larger, more secure single area.
While a final plan is not in hand, the Windham Primary School playground fundraising committee aims to install equipment similar to those pictured. Courtesy image