NORMAL — Using the funds from a $300,000 Illinois Jobs Now! grant, Unit 5 is improving five of its playgrounds to make them more fun and safer.

Unit 5 is improving playgrounds at Fairview Elementary, Parkside Elementary, Oakdale Elementary, Carlock Elementary, and Colene Hoose Elementary, during the summer break.

“As playground technology changes and improves, we need to constantly work to maintain the highest safety standards,” said Dayna Brown, an assistant to Unit 5 Superintendent Gary Niehaus. “And, it will definitely enhance the experience.”
Each of the five schools received $60,000 to replace existing playground equipment that didn’t completely meet the required safety standards, with new playground equipment that is made of hard plastic and ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant.
“We had insurance companies starting to say ‘Hey, how about all of this steel stuff? Do you think we can get rid of the steel?’ They’re asking us to get rid of the some of the wood, too,” said Niehaus.
A compact floor cover will be placed under and around the new playground equipment.
“It’s (the floor cover) much more compact,” said Niehaus. “It’s a lot safer. Hopefully, we’ll have less injuries out of it as well.”
The playground improvements will be different for each school, said Brown.
“The playground improvements vary by school, depending on the need of each facility,” said Brown. “For example, at Carlock we took out the entire playground, redid the asphalt, put in a sidewalk, increased the green space, and installed new equipment. At Parkside, for example, they took out about half of the playground and replaced it with new equipment, which is ADA accessible.”
At Oakdale Elementary, three new play spaces were constructed. The new spaces, especially designed for children in pre-kindergarten and early elementary students, includes swings, a climbing wall, slides, and a modular section with overhead items. A grassy playing field will connect the new spaces to new and existing equipment for older children. The existing equipment that meets the current safety standards will remain at the elementary school that serves about 435 students.
While the improvements to the Oakdale Elementary playground are nearly finished, construction of the new playground at Carlock Elementary has recently started.
Community members and parents helped dismantle and remove the old playground equipment at Carlock Elementary. They also donated equipment, gasoline, and labor for the construction of the new playground that will include a jungle gym, swing set, freshly paved basketball court, slides, and green space.
“They pulled everything out, recycled things, dug out railroad ties — it was really neat,” said Carlock Elementary Principal Alison Hampton. “There were whole families helping.”
Carlock Elementary has around 135 students.
“It’s a great thing to see for a small community,” said Unit 5 Director of Operations Joe Adelman. “It’s an exciting time.”
The City of Bloomington is contributing funds for a new playground at Colene Hoose Elementary that will serve around 520 kids.
All of the playground improvements are expected to be complete before the start of the 2012-2013 school year.
Illinois State Representative Dan Brady (R-Bloomington) secured the Illinois Jobs Now! grant for Unit 5. Illinois Jobs Now! is a capital program designed to create jobs, strengthen the state’s transportation system and support economic growth across Illinois.
Unit 5 also received around $50,000 from PTO groups for the playground improvements.