The elementary school playground shows signs of its 20-plus years of service. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)

The Hildreth Elementary School playground has been the social focal point for students from preschool through the fifth grade for the last 23 years. It has weathered the traffic of thousands of little feet and hard, cold New England winters. The once bright primary colors have faded and corrosion has eaten through many of the ladder rungs and chains that hold the structure together. Now an effort is under way to restore the playground, with a design that includes the latest in safety features and that supports the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Voters at Annual Town Meeting will be asked in Warrant Article 16 to approve $65,000 in funding for the $195,000 project, with the remainder coming from the Shaw Trust, the education contract with MassDevelopment, and private fundraising.

The current playground configuration was designed and assembled by about 20 parents more than two decades ago.

"I remember the day very well," recalls Glenn Jordan of Haskell Lane. "It was pouring rain. A large group of us got together and finished it in one day. All of our kids were running around playing, and the moms were making food for everyone."

Terri Jordan, his wife, also recalls the day. "It was very exciting," she said. "That playground was such an important part of my children's life. We would meet up with friends there and play for hours. My three kids are six years apart and yet it had something for every one of them. I was so saddened to hear about its current condition. The playground should be a nurturing place, not a place where children are getting hurt."

Ashley Jordan (Courtesy photo)

The Jordans are parents to Bromfield senior and local singer Ashley Jordan. Ashley, who in February was selected as one of Metronome magazine's Top 20 Performers of 2010, was approached by Chris Snell, a second-grade teacher at HES, to see if she would be interested in helping with the new playground fundraising effort by performing a concert. She jumped at the opportunity.

"I went to HES from kindergarten through fifth grade and played on the playground about a thousand times or more," she said. "I have an older brother and sister, so I was actually on that playground even when I was a baby. It was a fun place to play on over the years. It's now in rough shape and needs replacement. My parents were volunteers who helped with building the original playground structure, so I thought it was a great idea that I would be able to help support the re-building of it! Kids in Harvard deserve a fun and safe place to play just like I had back in the day."

Replacing the playground has been discussed at length over the last three years. Originally, school officials looked into replacing worn-out parts. They quickly learned that logistics and funding were prohibitive and the only solution was total replacement.

The first thing that had to be addressed in planning the new playground was how to accommodate the current needs of HES students. Assistant HES Principal Gretchen Henry had traveled down this road before, serving as the chief fundraiser in 1988 for the existing structure. She is keenly aware that over time, the needs of students change and that modernization usually means increased safety. As she quickly points out, "Prior to this playground, there were two wooden teeter-totters, a metal jungle gym, and a 25-foot-high metal slide, all housed on a very hard playing surface—not what anyone would call safe by today's standard." She continues, "In 1988, the need for the playground came at the same time as a new addition was being added to the original school building. Unfortunately, we ran out of funds for extras. So, I started fundraising, and a landscaper came up with the design. We worked for an entire year raising money, and various landscapers and contractors around town pitched in with the site work and excavating. Parents all came together to do the assembly."

The population of HES has greatly changed since then. Now, along with grades 1 through 5, there is an integrated preschool program, full-day kindergarten classes, and a CASE Collaborative classroom where most of the children have mobility issues. Often, there are two grades of children at recess at once, a total of about 200 children. Besides an increase in school population, factors such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, safety, and equipment appropriateness had to be taken into account in considering the design of a new playground. According to the Finance Committee's recommendation in Warrant Article 16, the project is expected to cost about $195,000.

HES playground project chairwoman Mary Traphagen and her team have come up with some creative approaches to raising money. "To date, we have had an HES sweatshirt sale; a pennies-for-the-playground classroom coin collection, which is ongoing; we have a website where people can make donations; and the Lions Club has committed $1,500 plus volunteers when the community build takes place," Traphagen says. To date, the fundraising has garnered about $6,500. "We are hoping to raise upwards of $2,000 when Ashley Jordan has her concert in April," Traphagen says. "A townwide mailing is planned the last week in March. It will go to all residents and businesses of Harvard and Devens. We hope to educate all residents, not just families of school-age children, about this project and its importance to the town, and raise money at the same time."

The committee is working hard to independently raise funds in order to decrease using any town funding they may receive from the proposed warrant article to be voted on April 2. If voters do not pass the warrant article, Traphagen says, many of the plans for the playground will be in jeopardy.

Selectman Ron Ricci is a strong advocate for the new playground and acknowledges the efforts made on its behalf. "The new structure will serve all children, including our special needs and pre-K students, during the school day recess and after school with their parents as well as during weekends and sporting events held at the adjacent playing fields," Ricci says. "Ensuring that children have healthy exercise and a play period is an important part of a well-rounded educational experience. Maintaining a resource that other parents can enjoy with their kids is also important. I support the School Committee and the efforts of parents who have established a shared funding mechanism that substantially reduces the cost to taxpayers."

Traphagen encourages residents to go to the HES website and read their report to view a breakdown of costs and the reasoning behind material selection. "We have had a lot of people ask us about the surface materials," she says. "In the past few years, there have been several children who have broken bones as a result of falling onto the hardened and packed surface that currently exists. We have chosen a rubber mulch that initially is a large investment but, over time saves the school money because it doesn't degrade and compact like wood mulch."

The Ashley Jordan fundraising concert will take place April 29, at 7:30 p.m. in the HES cafeteria. Tickets are $15, but discounted to $10 for Bromfield and other high school students, and $5 for HES and other elementary students; they are available at the door only. To find out more about the HES playground project or to make a donation visit www.psharvard.org.