Canton School Board Seeks Cash For School Playground Repairs

CANTON, CT — Local school officials earlier this month took time off their summer to conduct a special meeting to address needed repairs at two school system playgrounds.

The Canton Board of Education unanimously approved requests for nearly $36,000 in special appropriations to repair playground equipment at Canton Intermediate School and Cherry Brook Primary School after safety inspections identified deficiencies at both sites.

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The Canton Board of Finance was expected to take up the matter this week at its regular meeting Monday, July 20.

But during Monday's meeting, it was learned that the board of education ultimately withdrew the results of its prior meeting and, instead, opted to find the money within its budget.

The school board voted 8-0 during a special meeting on July 8 to ask the Canton Board of Finance to appropriate $29,711.23 for repairs at Canton Intermediate School and $6,596.54 for repairs at Cherry Brook Primary School.

While the money won't come from town coffers, the repairs are deemed necessary by school officials nonetheless.

Canton School Superintendent Jordan Grossman said the July 8 special meeting was called because both playgrounds require repairs, and the district wanted to seek additional funding rather than begin the new fiscal year with an unplanned budget deficit.

Grossman said the playground at Canton Intermediate School still has significant remaining life and will be repaired instead of replaced.

The playground was closed during the final two weeks of the school year, and students attending summer school are using alternative recreation areas.

Canton Public Schools Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds Bob Craig said third-party safety inspections found several deficiencies requiring corrective action to keep the playgrounds safe and compliant with current regulations.

At Cherry Brook Primary School, Craig said several structural issues covered under warranty have already been addressed.

The remaining repairs include replacing a small rope climber and an overhead bar climber for $6,596.54.

Repairs at Canton Intermediate School are more extensive and include replacing a small rope structure, two cracked slide sections, and two sections of decking with integrated railings.

Craig said the decking must be replaced because playground safety codes have changed, making the existing configuration noncompliant.

The district also plans to remove older monkey bars near the athletic field after discovering missing rivets and determining replacement parts are unavailable because the manufacturer cannot be identified.

Craig said the playground's larger rope climbing structure also must be removed because it is no longer manufactured and the protective covering on its steel cables has worn away.

A comparable replacement would cost an estimated $40,000 to $50,000, so the district is exploring more affordable alternatives for future installation.

District officials estimated replacement parts for the Canton Intermediate School repairs will take 10 to 12 weeks to arrive, meaning the playground is not expected to reopen by the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Craig said the district consulted the local representatives for Miracle and Landscape Structures, the playground equipment manufacturers, and also met with another vendor.

However, officials concluded the additional vendor could not provide competitive pricing because replacement parts would still need to be purchased through the manufacturers' representatives.

Canton Board of Education Chairman Lou Daniels said he has contacted the town's state representative and state senator about potential bonding opportunities to help fund future playground improvements.

He said the board of education will also continue working with town administrators to pursue grants and seek continued support from parent-teacher organizations, which have previously helped fund playground projects.

For the minutes of the July 8 Canton Board of Education meeting, click on this link.