Mountain Brook Elementary PTO playground fundraising ends this week

The Mountain Brook Elementary Lancer PTO is working to raise $350,000 to equip the school with an upgraded, safer and ADA-compliant playground. A six-week fundraiser, which began Tuesday, Feb. 9, will end March 20 with a school-wide fun run celebration. The group, said Playground Chair Eleanor Estes, hopes to transform the playground this summer.

“It’s a big goal,” said Estes, “but we are excited about the prospects.”

The idea for a new playground, she said, came about when the PTO realized how much it would cost to equip the current playground with a poured-in-place rubber surface.

“It didn’t make sense, in our opinion, to spend $120,000 for the new surface,” she said, “when we knew it would be used around a 20-year-old playground structure.”

Although the new surface—now popular at many playgrounds for its safety and accessibility features—would be ADA-compliant, the structure itself would not be.

“Approximately 8-10 percent of the Mountain Brook Elementary student community is special needs,” said PTO President Emily Lassiter. “If we were going to take on something of this magnitude, we wanted to make sure we built more than just a new playground. We want to ensure everyone will be included in the final product.”

As part of the PTO’s “Full STEAM Ahead” fundraising campaign, the new playground will include ADA-compliant playground equipment appropriate for ages 3-12, wheelchair-accessible surfacing, play pieces designed for children on the autism spectrum, wheelchair ramps, two foursquare courts, an updated basketball court and additional benches. As part of efforts to keep up with Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math (STEAM) trends, the new playground would also feature a refurbished outdoor amphitheater that can be used as an outdoor classroom and a revitalized nature trail that would also promote outdoor learning. New fencing, graded landscaping and a commemorative brick pathway would round out the space.

MBE’s PTO worked with Kompan, the world’s top playground equipment supplier according to its website, to design the new equipment.

“[Kompan focuses] on strong design, high play value, safety, and long-lasting quality,” wrote Lassiter in a letter addressed to MBE parents. “Every new MBE playground piece will be ADA accessible and multifunctional. They are designed to promote problem solving, team building, science, engineering, and most of all….fun!”

In addition to adding the new surfacing for approximately $120,000 the new equipment will cost approximately $150,000. Site work preparation and landscaping will cost an additional $75,000, brining the project total to approximately $350,000.

The PTO is hoping to collect most of the money through donations from current MBE families, alumni and the surrounding community, businesses and area leaders.

“After all,” said Lassiter, “the playground is often used by families all around Mountain Brook on the weekends and especially in the summertime.”

The PTO will also apply for grants designed to help schools achieve a more ADA-compliant play area.

A wide range of donor levels is available, said Estes, beginning at $1 and climbing up toward a Grand Marshall designation of $50,000+.

“We want every family to have the opportunity to contribute,” she said. “Every bit will make a difference.”

Donors will be commemorated on playground plaques at the different play structures, she said. The PTO will also be selling commemorative bricks to be used in the walkway and will cost either $200 for a 4″ x 8″ brick or $400 for an 8″ x 8″ brick.

All donations are tax deductible.

To donate on-line or for more information about the MBE Playground Campaign visit: www.lancerpto.com