Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Playground Renovation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District moves ahead with elementary playground renovations; residents flag Willow Hill maintenance problems
Summary
The board approved a change order related to elementary playground renovations and administrators said playground renovations use poured-in-place ADA surfacing. Several residents raised concerns about the condition of Willow Hill and other elementary playgrounds during public comment.
The Abington Board of School Directors approved a change order tied to the district's elementary playground renovation program and heard public complaints about the condition of Willow Hill Elementary's playground during the May 27 meeting.
Administrators said the district has been designing and bidding playground renovations for three to four years and secured bids that allow a poured-in-place surface, which the district identified as the best ADA-accessible option for playground surfacing. “That surface is much better…for accessibility. It is the best ADA surface for wheelchairs, and accessibility for playgrounds, and that is the poured in place playground,” Superintendent Dr. Fetcher said when answering questions about the renovation program.
The playground program began with Copper Beach Elementary and is scheduled to continue through the end of the school year and into the summer, district staff said. Staff acknowledged that playgrounds will be closed while work is under way at each site and said closures will depend on the construction schedule at each school.
During public comment, resident Adele Cubell detailed maintenance concerns at Willow Hill—complaining of rusted, aged equipment, cracked blacktop, crumbling sidewalks, overgrown areas and a dead tree in front of the school. She also said mulch had not been added to several elementary play areas and raised concerns about a leaking high-school science center; she urged the board to address upkeep amid high taxes.
District operations staff responded that masonry, concrete and other grounds projects run year-round and that freeze–thaw cycles in winter commonly damage outdoor surfaces. “With all the freezing, thawing, salting… it takes a tremendous toll,” operations staff said, noting masons will prioritize resurfacing tasks during the spring and summer.
Board members asked whether the change order fell within the playground budget; staff said it did. The board approved the awards of contracts addendum—which included the playground change order—by roll call.
The district said it will continue to communicate timing for each playground and intends to have renovated playgrounds open by the start of the next school year when feasible.
