Playground grant approved
BY ALYSSA MEIER
Editor
Half of an upcoming playground project will be covered by a federal grant, as Washburn Public School has received an official approval letter for the funding.
Fifty percent of the $95,276 elementary playground renovation will be paid for by a Land and Water Fund grant, with work expected to start by September. The school was given tentative approval for the grant in February, and shortly after accepted a bid for the work from SafetyFirst.
The project will replace the pea gravel surfacing on the elementary playground with mulch, which will be installed over a drain tile system. Some of the older pieces of equipment will be swapped out for new items, like a DNA rope climber, fitness center and saddle seat.
Part of the grant application for the playground project also included covering some of the concrete on the lower playground with some sort of surfacing, but this has not yet been approved by the board. The school’s 2018-19 facility budget does have a line item for rubber/turf surfacing at $30,000.
