The playground at St. Elizabeth R-4 School District is for more than the students. It is for the entire community.
The community responded to the need to move and expand the playground by donating more than $70,000 to help with the project. Now, the district tentatively plans to complete the playground expansion by the end of the school's fiscal year, July 1.
About three months ago, the district moved the playground from alongside Missouri 52 for safety reasons. It also wanted to fulfill the St. Elizabeth PTO Outdoor Grounds Committee's vision to expand the playground and add handicapped-accessible features and those for children in pre-K.
"We started with the permission of the (Board of Education) to move the playground and began to research the project for quite some time, utilizing assistance from our insurance company and the public playground safety handbook for guidelines," St. Elizabeth Superintendent Toni Taylor said. "Anytime you do a renovation, you go back and comply with what you know. However, other things come up, such as how do you get it out of the ground, how do you take it apart, how do you put it back together, and once you remove it out of the ground, can you put it back in?"
They discovered teeter-totters and merry-go-rounds could not be reused after being removed from their existing location but other items could, Taylor said. A swing set and a jungle gym with a slide component, installed originally by students 20 years ago, have been renovated, painted and reassembled at the new playground site - behind the school near a large field across the street from the town's community center.
With the more than $70,000 from community donations, the St. Elizabeth school district can move forward with the PTO's playground expansion plan. All Inclusive Rec formulated a bid of $67,908 for a proposed playground addition. The expansion includes a pre-K area, which the PTO committee described as a large need with the recent addition of the new pre-K school at the district.
In the pre-K area, children can enjoy seesaws, rockers, a solo spinner and musical chimes. In the upper elementary area, rock climbers, hoops and a versa wall will be included. A sand diggers area, a large inclusive spinner, sidewalks and benches are also part of the plan. The new features will be accessible for all students, including those who are handicapped.
"We have students with motor issues and need to make sure they have a safe, fun place to play as well," Taylor said.
Outside of the new features, Fibar and rubber tiling will be used, improving the functionality and accessibility of the space. Taylor said a community member has volunteered to level and fill the gravel in the existing playground area during Thanksgiving break. Eventually, the district would like to use the tiles throughout the entire playground.
"Gravel is as safe as the squishy safety tiles but not great for handicapped accessibility," Taylor said. "It is the vision of the playground committee that eventually all the playground will be covered in the tiles. We could always use the gravel some place else in the future."
In fact, the PTO Outdoor Grounds Committee said its next projects include creating a courtyard in front of the St. Elizabeth School where the playground formerly resided and/or new ADA surfacing for existing playground equipment.
Other outdoor grounds projects include awnings, roof repair, and resurfacing and renovating the blacktop portion of the playground, which includes the basketball court and foursquare area. Taylor said a bid of approximately $40,000 has already come in to complete this project, but they are waiting for more funds and assistance to begin.
"If we get the community's help, that will offset money coming out of the school's fund for books, teachers' pay, etc.," Taylor said.
Taylor said she is amazed at the philanthropic individuals who support the St. Elizabeth School, seeing them in the past donate land and a building for a new track used by the district and neighboring schools.
Even with grants, like the one the district received from the Miller County Health Department to resurface its track, the community gives because they know they receive benefits from the school's resources.
"The track is open for any resident of Miller County to use. The playground is open to our community to use, as well," Taylor said. "In this community, it comes in spades. Giving back comes naturally for them."