PTO works hard so kids can play

HOT SPRINGS – Mulch spreads across an empty schoolyard where a rotting wooden playground once stood. Blue benches face the vacant space with nothing save a blacktop with cracks that continue to grow.

The Hot Springs Elementary School is in need of a new playground. The old one was torn down in the summer of 2013 because it was deemed a safety hazard. The Hot Springs Elementary Parents Teacher Organization has been working tirelessly to meet their goal of getting a new playground structure this summer.

The PTO has been pursuing donations, fundraisers and grants to earn the necessary money in time. The students in kindergarten through sixth grade sold Elliott’s cookie dough and earned $1,900 for the cause. The Hot Springs VFW donated $1,000 for the playground and the school recently received a grant.

On Wednesday, March 26 Senior Manager of Planning for Plum Creek Timber David Greer traveled to the school to hand-deliver the check for $2,500 to go towards the new playground structure. According to former PTO President Jen Christensen, Plum Creek Timber and the VFW have long been charitable towards schools.

“They give a lot of money to the schools and have given a lot to Hot Springs so I think it was a nice opportunity today to give them some credit too,” Christensen said.

With the generous donations and the fundraising done by the students, the PTO members are now two-thirds of the way to their goal.

The new structure itself costs approximately $10,400 but by the time the wood chips, concrete, transportation and labor are added to the mix, the total is more like $14,500 once it is all said and done.

The PTO members just hope they can raise the money in time to have the new playground up and going for the next school year. The children are already very excited for the new structure. They got to vote on which one out of six options they wanted. Christensen said it was a close race but in the end the children chose something out of the box.

“I’m glad they chose the one they did because it is something different,” Christensen said.

The new play equipment will have variations on the monkey bars and balance beam. It also has small swinging foot platforms and everything is done in bright, whimsical colors.

The new playground structure will come from a company called Dakota Fence. Christensen praised them for their quality product and good customer service.

The “small but mighty” PTO does not intend to stop with the new structure. For their next project, they have their eyes set on the blacktop. Christensen refers to this as ‘Phase Two.’

The blacktop is cracked and in need of new pavement. Christensen thinks it would be nice if they could have it painted as well. There is a company that can do a map of the United States, or even a world map, as well as four-square courts among other fun things.

To follow the progress of the playground project, go to www.gofundme.com/7rm554