Nature-based, inclusive playgrounds planned for new State College elementary schools
Lush green hills, stacked log mounds in the place of traditional climbing structures, and belt and group swings to encourage creativity. Those are some of the unique elements proposed for new playgrounds at Radio Park, Spring Creek and Corl Street elementary schools.
The final playground designs will be presented at State College Area School District board meeting on Dec. 2 after going through several rounds of revision based on community feedback and school board members’ decisions. With each playground costing about $250,000, the equipment at SCASD’s new elementary schools — Radio Park and Corl Street were renovated Spring Creek combines the former Lemont and Houserville elementary schools — will reflect nature-based play and be accessible to all.
Board member Laurel Zydney said that a few other board members had expressed an interest in looking into nature-based play as a request for proposals was being arranged early in the process.
“I think there are some different ideas about what nature-based play is,” Zydney said. “The idea is almost to recreate what it would have been when Ma and Pa would go out in the woods and play.”
The nature-based play elements are not inexpensive. Estimates showed equipment like a stacked log mound and a parkour area cost nearly $15,000 and $17,000, respectively.
The playgrounds will be funded through bonds issued in 2019.
Parents, students provided input on designs
The planning process for new playgrounds started in the spring, with the school district and the design firm Metcalfe asking students what they wanted to see as part of their new playgrounds. From this, they received a long list of equipment and design ideas.
“Back in June, we expected that there would be feedback but we didn’t expect, necessarily, as many iterations (to the designs) as we’ve actually had. And part of that is because there were inquiries and people reaching out to us,” SCASD Finance and Operations Officer Randy Brown said.
While Vern Bock, assistant superintendent of elementary education, said that the district was “very responsive” to community feedback and requests to maintain a balance between nature-based play and traditional play structures opportunities, some parents think there was a lack of follow-up after initially involving students and families.
“They asked kids what they wanted to see but they never went back to the kids and said, ‘Hey, do you see what you wanted represented here?’ They didn’t go back to the parents, either,” said Tami Nowacki, who has two children who attend Spring Creek Elementary School. “They had good intentions but when the designs came out, kids’ hearts sank.”
Suzanne Winters, president of the Radio Park Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization, said parents were informed of the decision to move toward nature-based play but were not involved in the final approval of the direction.
“The thing is, people don’t have a problem with incorporating some nature. We like the idea of incorporating some amount of nature. But there’s a difference between recognizing how many kids that you need to be able to play on a space and recognizing a school playground situation versus building a community park or a city park that functions in a different way,” Winters said.
School board president Amber Concepcion said that continual community feedback helped mold the final design and create a balance between collaborative nature-based play and traditional elements. The end result is a more usable space for students, Winters said.
“We are thankful that where the board pushed this direction they were able to listen to our please our cries are logical arguments and and make some changes that make it a much more usable space today than it was originally designed to be,” she said.
Playgrounds will be accessible for all
Making the new playgrounds accessible for all students had also been a key element in the design process, Bock said.
“We place a strong emphasis on inclusivity and and making sure that all students have access,” Bock said. “And that’s been a major theme through this design effort is to really make sure that we’re increasing accessibility for all students to play-surfaces and play-structures.”
Slides have been incorporated into large grass mound, removing the need for stairs and increasing accessibility for students. The swingsets were also designed to keep in mind students with physical disabilities. Instead of normal mulch, the playgrounds will be using engineered wood fiber, which provides smoother terrain for wheelchairs. That means more site work and grading, Brown said.
Final designs and budget information will be presented on Dec. 2 as the district administration hopes to receive approval from the board of directors by Dec. 16.
There are additional plans in place to renovate eight more playgrounds across the district — five elementary schools and three middle schools — and the administration hopes to begin working on those plans within the next year.
“Our priority, obviously, right now is on the three renovations because we want to get some play structures in place,” Bock said. “The goal would be to have those playgrounds in place for the next school year.”
Editor’s note: The original version of this story included incorrect information about funding for the playground projects. The playgrounds will be funded through bonds issued in 2019.
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 7:23 AM.