Students at Murphy Elementary and High Ridge Elementary schools will have new playgrounds to enjoy next school year.
The Northwest R-1 Board of Education voted unanimously May 15 to spend $435,863.41 on the new playgrounds and the surfaces for the playgrounds at the two schools.
Construction of the new playgrounds will be funded with revenue from a $28 million bond issue voters approved in April 2023.
The two playgrounds are the last of the seven playgrounds the district has been working to replace, with all six elementary schools and the Early Childhood Center getting new ones.
Currently, new playgrounds are being built at Brennan Woods Elementary and Cedar Springs Elementary schools and should be completed in June. New playgrounds already have been built at House Springs Elementary and Maple Grove Elementary schools and the district’s Early Childhood Center.
The playground and surfacing at Murphy Elementary will cost $214,541.95, and the cost for the playground and surfacing at High Ridge Elementary playground and surfacing will be $221,321.46.
Those playgrounds are expected to be “in and functioning” by August or September, Chief Operating Officer Mark Janiesch said. While revenue from the bond issue will cover the majority of the cost for the playgrounds, they will include multiple fixtures funded with an Early Childhood Center Expansion grant, Janiesch said.
“We received an ECC expansion grant for both Murphy and High Ridge. Murphy was awarded around $55,000 in 2023 and High Ridge was awarded $50,000 in 2024,” Janiesch said.
Some of those grant funds were used to renovate an early childhood classroom and outfit it with furniture, tricycles, games and toys for early-childhood-level students. The funds also were used to build a shed to store toys and equipment for those students, he said.
“The grants also covered a few ECC play structures for the playground for pre-K children,” Janiesch said.
Fixer up
The district has been replacing the playgrounds because most of them are more than 20 years old and were showing signs of wear, he said.
Janiesch said some parts for the old play structures are no longer being manufactured, so it was a challenge to repair them. While building the new playgrounds, new “fall surfacing” will also be installed at the new playgrounds.
“Existing play structures utilize rubber tiles as a fall surface. Our new fall surface is bonded rubber mulch, which is a longer-lasting product that is easy to patch when necessary for repairs,” he added.
In order to save money and use funds toward the actual play structures, Northwest district facilities personnel have been prepping the sites for the new equipment and removing the old equipment.
The district chose to work with BCI Burke to build all of its new playgrounds, and they are being purchased through a vetted co-op. The Playground Consultants is the exclusive Eastern and Southern Missouri representative for BCI Burke.
“(BCI Burke) were chosen for their outstanding warranty, 100 years on stainless hardware and 15 years on their plastic items, and they are made in the United States,” Janiesch said. “We toured other playgrounds and met with other consultants, but for the price, warranty and quality, (BCI Burke) stood out from the rest.”
Ask and you shall receive
Some of the new playground features include a bank of swing sets at Murphy Elementary and a separate slide from its large playground structure at High Ridge Elementary.
“Dr. Grace Green and I met with Lighthouse students about a year and a half ago. We met with them at every elementary location to get their feedback on what they would like to see in their playground. Some of them replied with humorous requests, such as petting zoos and zip lines, but most had logical requests to ensure we include items such as more swings, individual climbing structures, slides, ropes courses and rope web structures,” Janiesch said.
He said the playgrounds will not only provide recreation for students, but also they are valuable to the public.
“When school is not in session, the playgrounds are available to the public. Since we do not have many parks within the boundaries of the school district, our elementary school playgrounds become a nice benefit to the community,” Janiesch said.