West Seneca to relocate playground equipment to Northwood after safety review

Superintendent William Krueger said the district will move two pieces of playground equipment from the former East Elementary to Northwood Elementary after a building condition review identified safety hazards at Northwood.

Krueger, the West Seneca Central School District superintendent, told the board the district's building condition survey — required by the New York State Education Department and conducted by Young and Wright Architects — found deteriorated railings, exposed roots and other hazards on the Northwood playground that make replacement parts unavailable. "Those railings have deteriorated, need to be in replacement," Krueger said during the Jan. 7 meeting. "The age of the equipment is such that we cannot get replacement parts."

The district plans an immediate, interim solution: a professional crew will remove one large play structure and one bank of swings from the former East Elementary and reinstall them at Northwood. Krueger said the relocation will provide an immediate safety improvement for about 100 children who use the Northwood playground and is expected to last three to five years while the district pursues a permanent fix. "This is an immediate and low cost solution for us to have an immediate impact on the 100 of children that enjoy the playground equipment at Northwood Elementary," he said.

Krueger described broader facilities work emerging from facility-focused meetings with principals, buildings-and-grounds staff and the business official. The building condition survey covered all nine schools, the transportation facility and district office locations and will inform future capital projects, he said. Emerging themes include library renovations, cafeteria and kitchen upgrades at the middle and high school levels, lavatory renovations at East Senior, and safety-related repairs to rigging and auditorium systems.

Board members and the superintendent also discussed who pays for playgrounds and ongoing maintenance. Krueger said playground equipment maintenance is a district responsibility handled by the buildings and grounds department and its budget lines; he also noted districts may tap state aid for playground equipment under physical-education-related categories. Public commenter Betty Reedy suggested adding shade structures or seating for students and people watching playground activity during the public-comment period.

The district said the interim relocation will be completed by certified playground installers; Krueger emphasized the move is a stopgap measure and the building condition survey this spring will guide long-term capital planning.

The board did not take a formal vote on capital funding for Northwood at the Jan. 7 meeting.