By Sue Bergstrom for Valdez City News –
By the end of the summer there will be a new playground at Herman Hutchins Elementary School with swings, things to climb, bridges to cross, four slides, benches and more. There will be plaques at the entrance and throughout the playground with the names of Valdez folks and businesses who helped to make that playground possible as well as tiles with the handprints and names of some of the children who will play there. Construction is scheduled for July 21st through 26th of this year.
The playground will be safe and welcoming to all; built according to material safety standards and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It will be inspected by a certified examiner on completion. Below is a quote from the web site of Leather and Associates, the design and construction consultants.
Our mission is to create custom play spaces for children of all abilities. We work hand-in-hand with our clients to ensure our projects are cost-effective, safe and provide well-rounded play environments. L&A community build playgrounds are the fulfillment of children’s dreams and the product of collective energy and creativity of the entire community. (leatherassociates.com)
The idea of a community-built playground is that a volunteer-built playground gives the community a sense of pride. The design of the planned playground is the result, in part, of input from the children of Valdez. Kids of all ages submitted drawings and met with the project designer. So the playground is tailored to the community and reflects Valdez history, community interests and the local environment. Valdez will be getting this special playground for about one-third of the cost of a commercially-built one with the help of local volunteers.
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The Valdez Playground Project Steering Committee is now seeking financial support for the project and is offering a number of incentives. There will be dedication plaques and inscriptions placed around the playground itself as well as bidding for the right to name various landmark pieces of equipment such as the Rocking Tanker Ship and The Castle. Community members and local businesses will also be able to sponsor individual components such as, The Glacier Climb, The Rope Wall Climb, Snowboard Balance Beam, Wavy Monkey Bars, Mastodon, Bush Plane and Tree Fort, among others. Some of these items are customizable by their sponsors. Those sponsors will receive recognition on the valdezplayground.org website and on a plaque at the entrance. Another way to put your name, or someone’s, on the new playground is with hand print tiles. Handprints and even paw prints will be placed on a tile along with the name the purchaser chooses. These tiles will become a permanent part of the playground. Once a tile has been purchased, the sponsor will receive information about a series of upcoming tile workshops. Another way to become a part of the Playground Project is to sponsor a picket for the Tot Lot fence with your name engraved on it.
More information about this project can be found at http://valdezplayground.org/.
