Sumner County schools vote to seek master plan for accessible playgrounds, consultant estimate ~$80,000
Summary
The Sumner County School Board voted Dec. 16 to issue an RFP for a playground master development plan to address accessibility at 14 elementary sites after committee members recommended turf surfacing and a phased approach; staff estimated planning at about $80,000 and will return in January with a consulting recommendation.
Julie Daniel, director of Exceptional Students for Sumner County Schools, told the board the district’s playground committee identified 24 K–5 students across 14 schools who use wheelchairs or other assistive devices and recommended a standard approach so sites can be made accessible. “We have identified there are 24 students across 14 schools and these students are in K–5,” Daniel said, summarizing the committee’s needs assessment.
Committee members said the work falls into three priority buckets — pathways, surfacing and playground equipment — and that pathways must be addressed at every site. Chris Harrison, the district’s purchasing supervisor and a committee member, described the group’s site visits to Jean Brown and Station Camp elementaries and the rationale for a consistent design. “We were able to reach a consensus…that the use of artificial turf was the way to go,” Harrison said, adding that parents on the committee supported that choice.
Board members pressed staff on cost, insurance and durability. One member noted floodplain exposure can damage turf and recommended confirming warranty and insurance protections before installation; another urged using a professional planning firm to avoid repeated repairs. “If it’s done correctly and done right on the forefront, then it hopefully will last the length of what it should,” a board member said in support of hiring an experienced consultant.
Staff said a master development plan would document existing conditions, set strategic recommendations and make the district more competitive for outside grants that require a formal plan. Board members were told the planning step is scalable but that staff received a consultant-range estimate of about $80,000. “We’re in the neighborhood of $80,000,” a staff presenter said when discussing expected costs for a scoped plan.
The board voted to move forward with a request-for-proposals (RFP/RFQ) process to select a planning consultant; staff said they intend to solicit responses with the goal of returning a recommendation at the January meeting and to stage any construction work during summer to avoid interrupting the school year. The vote was to authorize moving ahead with the solicitation; no contractor was selected at the meeting.
What happens next: staff will advertise an RFQ/RFP, evaluate responses, bring a recommended consultant back to the board in January, and — after a district-approved master plan is produced and reviewed by the committee — return to the board for specific equipment and construction approvals.
