After two years of rotating construction, work is complete at replacing or upgrading eight District 58 playgrounds.
District 58’s long-term goal has been to improve and renovate all of its playgrounds and ensure that they are safe, accessible and modernized. The District’s goal has been to update antiquated equipment and create playgrounds to aid all children’s development. For schools with older existing playgrounds, the work includes complete playground replacements. For schools with new playgrounds, minor improvements and additions were added.
The work has been funded by a combination of $1.6 million in state grants, District 58 funding, PTA support, community fundraising and in some cases parent/staff help with labor and installation. The District has been able to supplement any gaps in funding to ensure all of the playgrounds at all 11 elementary schools are updated to an appropriate standard. The state funding amounts differed from school to school and were determined by the state.
“We are so grateful for the support from the state, the advocacy of Rep. Anne Stava-Murray, our parents and the PTAs that put in countless hours fundraising and supporting these efforts,” said Superintendent Dr. Kevin Russell. “The playgrounds will last many years and countless children in our community will benefit from the new playgrounds.
PTAs, playground committee fundraisers and community groups contributed greatly to the efforts. The playgrounds are designed to help children develop important motor, social and emotional skills as well as promote physical fitness.
“We are excited about all of this work,” said Kevin Barto, director of buildings and grounds. “We feel the District accomplished a great deal with the help of the state and parents, and our students are the beneficiaries.”
Playground Q+A
How are the playgrounds funded?
The playgrounds were funded through a combination of state grants, District 58 budget, PTA and playground committee fundraising and private donations. Gov. JB Pritzker signed a capital projects bill, House Bill 62, into law in 2019. Thanks to Rep. Anne Stava-Murray’s advocacy, this bill included nearly $1.6 million for playground improvements at several District 58 elementary schools. PTAs and fundraising committees raised incredible amounts for their schools’ playgrounds and District 58 was able to supplement gaps to ensure that all District 58 elementary school playgrounds were updated to an appropriate standard. In some cases, private donors contributed, for example at Henry Puffer, where Roadrunners Soccer donated funds for accessible equipment for preschoolers.
This collaborative funding effort was needed to cover construction and equipment costs for the playgrounds, costs that District 58 could not support within its own budget.
How was the state funding determined?
The District has no control over how the money is awarded. As such, the allocations differed from school to school. Some schools received less than others and some schools more. District 58 supplemented gaps to ensure that all District 58 school playgrounds were updated.
One of the reasons why schools received more money than others from the State of Illinois is because certain sites required more infrastructure support. Read more about state funding distribution.
How do you determine which playgrounds to replace or refurbish?
Each playground is routinely inspected for safety and wear and tear. Every playpiece that was removed as part of this refurbishment plan was past or near its life expectancy or was rusting. When play equipment could be reused, which was done in some circumstances, they were incorporated into the new design to save money.
How were playground equipment purchase decisions made?
Each school had a playground committee, comprising PTA, parents and staff, which worked with the administration, playground engineers and our architectural firm to determine needs and to choose playground equipment. They chose play structures that are popular with children, have accessibility features and are similar to what you would find in other school districts for ages 5-12.
Besides these eight schools, what about the three remaining playgrounds that make up the 11 elementary schools in District 58?
The El Sierra school playground project was completed in 2020. Whittier and Highland schools also have state allocations and the District anticipates that they will be completed in 2024.