Legacy Park leaders present phased $1.5M playground plan, ask board to authorize design documentation

Kelly Hudson, lead of the Legacy Park steering committee, told the Jenkintown School District board on Oct. 20 that the community has spent six months fundraising and developing a master plan for the elementary school grounds and is proposing a scaled first phase to make the site safe and usable.

“This is going to be capped at 1,500,000.0 in fundraising,” Hudson said, adding that the committee has raised “over $750,000” so far. She described Step 1 as a focused scope that preserves the larger master plan while delivering priority elements — swings, an updated play structure, a sustainability garden, murals and resurfacing — without taking the playground out of service for an extended period.

Architect Jillian Greenberry reviewed design choices and trade-offs, describing the full master plan as a $4,579,000 vision that the committee has scaled to a more achievable first phase. Greenberry said the committee wants to complete construction over a summer so students won’t lose playground access during the school year and that demolition of the existing castle is expected to take place during spring break for safety reasons.

For the board to meet permit and bidding timelines, presenters said they will seek a Nov. 10 vote authorizing the next step of design work: documentation (construction documents, or CDs) under the district’s existing civil engineering contract with Eustace Engineering. "For the November 10 meeting, we're looking for approval to document CDs through the existing contracts with UCITS," Greenberry said, explaining that completing CDs would allow the district to apply for permits and put construction out to bid.

Hudson told board members the steering committee’s plan imposes no cost on the district to date and relies on private fundraising and grant applications: “Everything that we've done and everything that we'll pay for this is directly through fundraising,” she said. Committee leaders said they continue to pursue grants and corporate partnerships while aiming to reach the Step 1 fundraising goal by the end of the school year so work can begin next summer.

Board members asked about staging, long-term maintenance, and whether the district would be asked to commit money later; presenters said the master plan leaves options open for future phases and that detailed drawings would make budget estimates firmer. The presenters offered to make materials available online and to meet with board members or committees to answer further questions.

Next steps: the Legacy Park steering committee will present a request at the Nov. 10 board meeting to authorize the contract documentation phase and said it will continue fundraising and grant outreach. If the board approves documentation, the district would receive final drawings for review, apply for permits, and solicit contractor bids for summer construction.