Pneuma students ask board for playground turf, drainage and safety fixes

Fifth‑grade student council members from Pneuma (Nooma) Elementary presented a list of playground improvements Tuesday, asking the Churchill County School District board to consider artificial turf, better drainage, repaired blacktop and other safety upgrades.

Students described current playground conditions as uneven and, in one classroom’s words, “like a cheese grater” that causes scrapes and makes running risky. The presentation included specific requests: remove or repair cracked blacktop; paint play courts; improve drainage to reduce puddles and ice; add turf fields at both ends of the playground; replace wood chips under play equipment with poured‑in‑place rubber surfacing or turf; fill deep holes under swings; add shade structures and add surfacing under bars and swings. The students also suggested using the center of the parent drop‑off loop for additional play space or a gym.

Board members and Superintendent Parsons thanked the students for the detailed presentation. Several trustees said some items appear feasible within district capital planning, while larger projects such as a gym would require funding beyond the district’s local capital budget.

District staff said the requests will be reviewed with site principals and maintenance staff; drainage and turf projects were already on the district’s list for future capital work. Trustees encouraged staff to include student priorities when preparing budgets and to report back on feasibility and potential timing.

No formal board action was taken at the meeting; staff will evaluate costs and options and include them in capital planning discussions and budget committee review.