WINDHAM – Students at Windham Primary School will soon have a new, larger consolidated playground, to replace the school’s 22-year-old equipment. It will be built to provide a safer and more accessible play area for students of all ages.

One supportive parent, and coordinator of the Windham Primary School Playground Fund, Michelle Jordan, says the current equipment at the school, built in 1991, is one-size-fits-all, and is in two separate locations on the grounds.

Its poor condition means students of all ages during recess have not been able to play comfortably for years, she said. The original steel playground equipment, which is covered in rust and chipped paint, fails to meet safety requirements and does not provide handicapped access.

Since March, a 12-member fundraising committee, spearheaded by Jordan, along with various organizations in the community, has been raising the necessary funds as part of a campaign to replace the old playground and redesign the entire recess area.

So far, approximately $30,000 has been raised toward the project, Jordan estimated Monday, and donations continue to pile up.

A number of fundraising events this summer have helped supplement the mere $125,000 project, including a 5K race held in June in memory of Raymond resident Kansas Wilson, a former teacher at the primary school; the Windham Youth Basketball tournament; the Kelli’s 5K race held in honor of a 10-year-old student in Windham who passed away from brain cancer and more, Jordan said.

“It’s been great,” she said of the committee’s $50,000 fundraising effort. On Saturday, Aug. 24, Bob the Screen Printer, located at 91 Tandberg Trail in Windham, is having a Back to School sale of Windham Eagles apparel. Twenty-five percent of the proceeds will be put toward the playground purchase, Jordan said.

According to Jordan, the fundraising committee’s goal to raise $50,000 is only about half the cost of the new equipment. The school board is in the midst of deciding whether to put the remaining cost into the school budget, said school board member, Tony Pennels.

He praised the committee’s fundraising efforts on Friday, pointing out that the project may not have come to fruition without Jordan’s perseverance. The fact the committee has raised $30,000 in just five months is impressive, he said.

“It left my jaw open,” said Pennels.

Overdue

The original equipment, Jordan explained, “is out-dated. It’s worn. Playgrounds back then were built as one-size-fits-all. We know kids aren’t one-size-fits-all, so our new playground environment will be geared toward kids in kindergarten through third grade, as well as have better accessibility for kids with physical challenges and special needs.”

“It’s long overdue,” Jordan said of the playground’s construction. “It will make the playground much safer … and it will be one, fenced-in location,” whereas the two separate locations are too close to the busy road and parking lots.

Once constructed, the new playground area will have two sets of steel equipment, Jordan said, plus two swing sets, a baseball field and basketball court. Replacing the playground is part of an even bigger project to expand the parking lot and improve the bus drop-off area on the C-house side of the school, she said.

“Once that is completed, the school will focus on removing the old equipment on the A-house side,” Jordan said.

Phase II of the construction will take place next summer, she said. The goal is to have the remaining $70,000-plus by the end of the 2013-2014 school year, in order for the work to commence and so students of Windham Primary School can once again have a safe place to play.

A “community build” will begin next month to replace the original equipment and volunteers are being sought to help with the project to save on installation costs, Jordan said.

Windham Primary School Principal Kyle Rhoads could not be reached for comment by press time.

Twenty-two-year-old playground equipment at the Windham Primary School shows severe rusting and paint peeling. The school will be replacing the equipment, beginning next month, with larger equipment, which is also safer and handicap accessible.