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Indian Hills PTO offers $52,000 toward $174,000 playground replacement
Summary
Board heard a presentation that Indian Hills PTO has raised $52,000 toward a roughly $174,000 playground replacement; district and PTO plan to use AB Creative and coordinate capital outlay timing.
The USD 437 Board of Education on Monday heard a proposal from Indian Hills Elementary parents and staff that the school’s PTO will donate $52,000 toward a planned playground replacement estimated at about $174,000.
PTO volunteer Chelsea Schmidtline and district staff described an aging playground originally installed in 1989 and recent wear issues, including a cracked slide and failing chain features. The PTO surveyed families, worked with playground designer AB Creative and raised funds through pancake breakfasts, a glow run and other activities to assemble the gift.
Schmidtline said the PTO’s renderings emphasize more shade, new swings in compliance with current safety standards and fewer high-risk monkey-bar features. The PTO also expressed interest in upgraded surfacing — such as poured-in-place rubber or turf — but said surfacing estimates would more than double the project cost and therefore would be considered a future enhancement if additional funds are raised. District staff noted the existing rubber mulch is ADA-compliant and that the state’s waste-tire program had previously paid 50% of that surfacing.
District staff said AB Creative and Miracle are the two main suppliers the district uses for playground equipment, and AB Creative is available via cooperative purchasing through Greenbush, which avoids separate bidding. The school and district estimated the new equipment has an expected life of about 20 years; the current surface is roughly ten years old and would likely be replaced later as funding allows.
Board members asked about accessibility and surfacing options; staff said they had consulted occupational therapists and special-education providers on equipment selection and that the rubber mulch currently provides ADA-certified access with supplemental rubber mats to reach play pieces. No formal vote on accepting the donation was taken at the meeting; staff said the project would be coordinated with ongoing bond construction and capital outlay timing to schedule installation next summer if approved through capital outlay processes.
The board expressed praise for the PTO’s fundraising and planning and asked staff to include the project in the district’s capital outlay planning.
