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Residents ask council to help replace condemned playground at Richmond Elementary
Summary
Parents and community members urged the council during the budget public hearing to help fund repairs or replacement of a condemned playground at Richmond Elementary School; PTO president asked council and school committee to work together on funding options.
Richmond — Parents and community volunteers asked the Town Council during a public hearing to help find funding to repair or replace a playground at Richmond Elementary School that speakers said has been condemned.
The request came from Thea Brennan, president of the Richmond PTO, who spoke as a resident. She described the playground's condition and asked the council to consider financial support while she also asked the school committee to exhaust district options.
"Our children deserve the best schools, and they deserve new schools and safe playground equipment," Brennan said, adding that the kindergarten playground needs at least $6,000 in repair work and that the equipment supports the YMCA after-school program and town recreation camp.
Brennan said she had been advised by the district policy that fundraising should not be used as a substitute for items that should be in the school budget. She asked both the school committee and the Town Council to be part of a conversation about how to secure funding, including possible town contributions if the district exhausts other sources.
Separately, Alex McKendhol, a volunteer with the garden club, said he had inspected the equipment before it was removed and attempted to source replacement parts from manufacturers and regional contacts. "There was a hundred year warranty on many of those," he told the council, and he described efforts to locate parts and donors.
Councilors said the school committee should pursue district-level options first and that the council could consider a supplemental contribution if the district exhausts other avenues. One councilor said any town contribution should await confirmation that the district had explored all funding sources.
Ending: Councilors encouraged community volunteers to continue coordination with the school committee and said the council would consider a targeted contribution only after the school committee reported that other funding options were exhausted.
