New Equipment Completes 10 Year Plan By Susie Kaeser, Boulevard Elementary Site Team

The west side of the Boulevard Elementary grounds got a new look on May 10 when a crew of more than 40 parent and community volunteers installed a bright new play structure complete with a circular slide and climbing wall. The metal equipment replaced an ancient wooden structure and other outmoded equipment. It addresses one of the school’s priorities: more safe play space to accommodate the addition of 150 students to the school’s enrollment.

In 1998 a parent-led committee called the Boulevard Elementary Site Team (BEST) started the long-term effort to totally redesign and improve Boulevard’s vast grounds. At that time BEST created a master plan for the 11.4 acre site which has a special history in the school district. Lee Road School was built here in 1905, the first school in the district which later served as the office for the Board of Education. In 1916 the first high school was built here and became Roosevelt Junior High in 1928. The first Boulevard Elementary School was located at the end of Altamont Road before it was replaced in 1974 with the current building.

BEST raised more than $300,000 to transform the wide open space into three sports fields, a reading garden, and a safe and challenging playground. An energetic crew of community volunteers worked through heat and rain over two weekends in the summer of 2004 to install swings, a tot play structure, and a large challenge course on the east side of the grounds. The new play structure matches that equipment and completes the largest remaining element of the master plan.

Installing the new equipment required some creative problem solving and patience! While digging the 30 inch deep holes for the support frame, the auger collided with the past – a huge concrete blob that was part of the old high school. After careful calculations it became clear that the equipment would not fit into the space that the district grounds crew had prepared so carefully for the project. This did not dampen the festive spirits of the work crew nor deter their commitment to completing the job.

By 11:30 a.m. the auger was back in action drilling the holes in a new location slightly closer to the building and on top of the flattest part of the site. By 4:30 the structure was in place and volunteers joined forces to heave the huge slide into its upright position. Another hour of securing bolts, pouring 4,800 pounds of concrete, and clean up brought the installation to its happy conclusion.

The new site required a new solution to containing the 8” layer of chips that are essential to a safe playground. Since the final resting spot for the equipment was at the ground level rather than in the prepared site, the new solution required the purchase and installation of a raised border. A hardy crew returned on Tuesday to install the border and over the next week the mountain of chips made their way to the playground and play commenced.

Reaching Heights, which served as the fiscal agent for the project, held $10,500 for BEST, awaiting the right moment to spend the final funds. That moment came this winter when the equipment went on sale. A $1,100 donation from the Boulevard PTA helped secure the equipment and donations from the Wolpert Fund, Forest Hill Church and 16 Boulevard students, parents and teachers generated more than $3,000 to cover the installation, surfacing costs and the border. The school district grounds crew prepared the site and shared their muscle power and expertise during the installation process making the project a great partnership and success.

Children can now be seen gleefully enjoying the slides and climbing opportunities.