New playgrounds will welcome Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. elementary students when they return for the start of classes Aug. 8.
BCSC is nearing completion on upgrading playgrounds at 11 of the district’s elementary schools, said Brett Boezeman, BCSC director of operations.
Funding for the $3.07 million project is coming from $6.7 million in general obligation bonds the district is using to upgrade school buildings and playgrounds.
The appearance of the playgrounds will look similar at several elementary school campuses, Boezeman said. However, each of them will have their own design and will be made accessible to individuals with disabilities.
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Building principals were given basic options to choose from and provided input on the designs at each elementary school, Boezeman said. BCSC approved the contract with Maxwell Construction Co. for playground improvements last year.
Features included in the new playgrounds include swing sets, slides, a shaded area, a climbing tower and new surface areas to make them more accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Work at Clifty Creek, Columbus Signature Academy — Fodrea Campus, Smith and Taylorsville elementary schools is almost complete, Boezeman said.
A majority of the playgrounds are expected to be finished by the start of the school year, although two or three might take a few more days after school begins, he said.
Playgrounds came to the top of the list when discussions were held with building principals about their needs upon his arrival to the district two years ago, BCSC Superintendent Jim Roberts said.
Previously, not all school playgrounds were accessible to individuals with disabilities, Roberts said. The district also wanted to address safety and age-appropriateness of equipment being used, he said.
“We think playgrounds are extremely important, not only for students while they’re at school, but also to kids within the community and the neighborhoods they serve,” Roberts said. “They’re good for our community and we’re anxious to have our community take advantage of them.”
That sentiment was also shared by Laura Hack, BCSC’s director of elementary education, who said the new play spaces will be a benefit to 6,100 elementary students in the district.
The playgrounds will give individuals an opportunity to socialize and learn as well, she said.
“We really look at the playground as an extension of the classroom,” Hack said.
Work on a separate playground area at CSA Lincoln, known as the Linden Project, is also underway. The $500,000 project is modeled off an original concept for a playground in 1966 that never materialized.
The playground project’s name was selected as a tribute to architect Gunnar Birkerts, who designed the school in 1967 and included Linden trees in the proposal. The improvements at CSA Lincoln are being overseen by J.C. Ripberger Construction Corp., based in Zionsville.
The space, designed by Indianapolis-based Hitchcock Design Group, will include swings allowing individuals to socialize with one other, outdoor classrooms, benches and a butterfly garden. A large wooden climbing structure known as the Joe Brown Globe modeled to look like a globe will also be on the playground.
CSA Lincoln was able to secure $267,000 in grants and public and private donations in nine months, said Jess Schnepp, fundraising coordinator of the Linden Project. Additional funding was provided by the school district.
“That project will be seen by every third-grade student when they take the architecture tour,” Schnepp said. “Our goal was to make it architecturally creative because of what Columbus is and provide that to the community.”
The only elementary school not receiving playground upgrades this summer is Parkside. Freedom Field, the 1.5-acre handicap-accessible playground at the elementary school, is overseen by the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department.
It has a 25,000-square-feet checkered, rubber surface. Some of the play space’s features include ramps that are wheelchair-accessible, a three-dimensional climbing web called Spacenet, a rock wall, a Sway Fun Wheelchair Glider, Bucket Swings, Roller Slide and futuristic-looking teeter totters. Freedom Field also has play panels, including one with chimes and another with Braille letters.
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The Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. is upgrading playground equipment at 11 of its elementary schools: R.L. Johnson Education Center, Mt. Healthy, Southside, Clifty Creek, CSA Fodrea, Schmitt, Rockcreek, Taylorsville, Richards, Smith and CSA Lincoln.
The only playground not included in the district’s plans is Parkside, whose handicap accessible Freedom Field is overseen by the Columbus Parks and Recreation Department.
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