Campaign Launched to Refurbish Hathaway Playground

The playground at Hathaway Elementary School in Portsmouth is in need of some serious TLC.

While it has served children well for many years, these days, the blacktop at the playground is crumbling, some of the equipment is outdated and many involved in the school community believe the time has come for a major refurbishment.

“Part of it is age and wear and tear,” said Victoria Cabral, a parent involved with the school’s PTO. “The other part is that the district has changed over the years — Hathaway used to go up to fifth grade, then fourth and now just third. Some of the equipment just isn’t appropriate.”

What began as an idea to start the process of getting the playground revamped has now become a full-on fundraising effort.

And it got a big boost to start thanks to the genoristy of the Borden family of Portsmouth, who put up $20,000 in memory of Mary Beth Borden, a longtime volunteer at the school.

“That put some energy behind the whole fundraising thing,” Cabral said.

Here’s the thing: playground equipment is quite expensive. So are the latest state-of-the-art surfaces, which will skin fewer knees than the blacktop covering the ground right now.

That blacktop got a lot of use this winter with all the snow. Nowadays, parents don’t always send kids to school with snow boots on their feet. As a result, many kids stayed on the pavement all winter long.

“The blacktop area is really tired looking,” Cabral said.

The fundraising effort is bringing out the best of the school community. Small donations have been trickling in from here and there, and along with the huge Borden family gift, others have decided to make the playground refurbishment a priority even after they’ve transcended to another realm.

Take Ila R. Fullerton, who died at 74 in March and urged memorial gifts in her name be made out to the Hathaway Playground Refurbishment Project.

Fullerton is not alone — others who have lived in Portsmouth and appreciate the need for children to have a safe and dynamic place to play and burn off steam during the school day are either putting up money or asking others to help as part of their final wishes.

“People are very generous,” Cabral said. “People are in tune to this sort of thing and families have been here for generations.”

That’s what happened with the Borden family. Mary Beth devoted years of her life as a part time aid and then as a full-time special needs aid at the school. Now, her grandson, Jonah, attends the school.

In fact, Mary Beth Bordon was one of the first students to ever graduate from the school as part of its first graduating class. Later in life, she opened up her home to neighborhood children for snacks, crafts and to make sure they had easy access to her chocolate chip cookies.

Her open door policy continues after her passing, with the family’s donation intended to open doors for generations of Hathaway children to come.

So far, there is no specific fundraising goal. The PTO is working with school officials, including the facilities director, to get quotes for specific scopes of work.

Still, there’s a long road ahead. And the Hathaway community hopes Portsmouth residents across town follow Borden’s lead.

To donate, make a check payable to HPTCA, the Hathaway Playground Refurbishing Project, 53 Tallman Ave., Portsmouth RI 02871.

You might want to follow the Hathaway PTA on Facebook for updates, if you haven’t already.

Photos Courtesy: Victoria Cabral