New Acmetonia Elementary School playground could be a reality

The wheels are starting to turn on a proposal for a playground at Acmetonia Elementary School in the Allegheny Valley School District.

The school board will vote on approving funds for a playground at Acmetonia during its Sept. 12 meeting.

School board member Amy Sarno and Acmetonia’s PTA have been researching the installation of a playground. They received three proposals from Play & Park Structures: the first costing $124,000, the second $132,000 and the third $154,200.

Sarno suggested pursuing the third proposal because of the items included.

It featured an “inclusive orbit,” with a rubber poured-in-place surface to accommodate students with physical disabilities. The inclusive orbit is a freestanding “whirl” piece of equipment that allows for wheelchair accessibility to the platform.

“I’m looking to get us really quality playground equipment that is going to last us, that is going to be safe, that is going to be beautiful, and is just going to be a wonderful thing for children to have, hopefully, for many years,” Sarno said.

She asked the board to allocate about $155,000 from district coffers to cover the cost. Asked whether the district could dip into the capital projects fund while still having money to spend on other projects, district Finance Director Hamsini Rajgopal said it would be able to.

Board President Larry Pollick said Rajgopal and Superintendent Pat Graczyk would tell the board if Sarno’s request was unreasonable, which they haven’t said.

“As far as I’m concerned, that’s a realistic number,” Pollick said.

Sarno said before the board moves forward with a proposal, school staff and administration would meet to possibly tweak some of the playground’s design. Changes could include replacing some of the climbing features and adding imaginative play features such as panels similar to a playhouse.

The quotes are valid until the end of December, as prices on equipment would rise starting in 2024. Therefore, it would be advantageous for the board to buy the equipment soon, Sarno said.

She said the PTA is agreeable to starting a playground fund to cover maintenance costs. The PTA also recently donated a shed to store playground equipment.

“The PTA took that on of donating (the shed) to the school, so, the parents of the PTA are very, very invested in improving our outdoor space,” Sarno said. “I think we’re very committed to working with admin and working with the district to continue improving that space.”

In May, Sarno presented to school board members results from a community survey distributed on Facebook regarding playground proposals. There were 39 participants.

Asked what kind of outdoor equipment they would like to see at Acmetonia, 97% of responses said traditional playground structures, 85% were for safe, accessible surfacing, and 72% were for green spaces such as classroom gardens or greenhouses.

The top three benefits of having a playground, the survey revealed, were physical and mental health and development of social skills.

How the playground should be funded, top survey results said, included the district applying for grants or loans, pursuing corporate sponsorships or budgeting for it using available funds or incoming grants.