Playground Near Wilkins Elementary May Be Rebuilt

STOUGHTON, MA — The playground near Richard L. Wilkins Elementary School could be rebuilt if the board of selectmen approve using $800,000 from the Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds for the restoration.

Despite the playgrounds proximity to Wilkins, the school does not own the playground. The town owns the playground, Recreation Director Tim Davis said, which makes the playground eligible for CPA money. Davis said the playground should be a priority because it presents an opportunity to improve part of a Title I school community, a designation which recognizes a need for improvements to help students' academic success and personal well-being.

"This is in a part of town in my opinion, in most need of a safe, accessible area to go on the weekend and to spend out of school time with family and friends," Davis told the selectmen.

Davis, along with designers at RBLA Design, presented the plan for a new playground at the selectmen meeting on March 5. Davis identified drainage as the most important improvement needed at the playground.

"The truth is, this play ground is approaching a level of disrepair...," Davis said. "Whether it be a storm that's lasted for five hours or five days, that site completely floods, and the water sits there for days at a time.

The plan is for the playground's wood fiber surface to be replaced with something less porous, while also installing piping underneath to divert water into a rain garden, Rebecca Bachland of RBLA Design said.

Other problems Davis acknowledged needing to be addressed are the equipment and wheelchair accessibility. According to Davis, the playgrounds equipment is outdated and is almost at the point where equipment could fail an inspection. He said the department of public works already addressed some equipment that posed safety concerns, so there's playground equipment that is not functional.

Much of the equipment is also not wheelchair accessible. The fiber wood chip surfacing makes using a wheelchair at the playground difficult New equipment and surfacing will all be wheelchair accessible under the new plan, and the entrance gate is also expected to be widened.

For new equipment, a swing set is expected to be the center of the playground. Slides and climbing equipment will be placed around it, with toddler themed equipment off to the sides, Bachland told the selectmen.

With Selectman Steve Cavey absent, the board was not able to vote on the proposal. Further discussion is expected at the next meeting at 7 p.m. on March 19.