MOUNT VERNON – The East Elementary playground has entered a new era, thanks to the efforts of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), elementary parents and many community partners.
Jessica Ryals, a parent and PTO member, told the Mount Vernon News that the parents first became concerned about the playground in the fall of 2018.
"Some of our concerns included the fact that it was a gravel playground," Ryals said. "Kids were getting hurt. When the gravel spilled over onto the blacktop, it was very slippery."
She also noted that her own kids have taken many a spill on the old playground equipment.
Adding to the PTO's concern, the Knox County Health Department informed the school that one of the swing sets was dangerously close to one of the playground's oldest trees.
"So the impetus for looking into [a new playground] was some of these safety concerns coming to the forefront," Ryals said.
The parents also surveyed many East Elementary teachers to hear their observations and found another problem: For the older elementary kids, there was no play on the playground.
"Not only did we have a safety issue, we had a variety issue," Ryals said. "There was no green space for the students to play on, it was all either blacktop or gravel. And the equipment really skewed toward the younger grades. There was nothing interesting or challenging enough for the kids in the third, fourth, fifth grades to engage with."
The swing set that was too close to the tree found a new home, and that location was turned into a green space with a topsoil donation from Ver-Mac Industries. Some old playground equipment was retired and replaced with brand-new features that allow the students to climb, spin and teeter to their hearts' content. The asphalt was milled and resurfaced, a new football and kickball area was painted, and Mount Vernon High School alumna Katie Merrilees designed a sensory walk for the students to enjoy.
The road to obtaining the new playground was long. After the PTO decided it was time for new equipment, the parents established a committee and planned a series of grant applications and fundraising events to cover the project's cost, but they saw their plans upended by the pandemic.
Knowing how local businesses were struggling in the public health crisis, Ryals said the committee focused its efforts on establishing grant funding as much as possible. Last fall, the committee reached out to elementary parents asking if they wanted to help with the rest needed to bring the new playground to fruition.
Ryals said the committee was blessed with the support of East Elementary's parents and several local foundations, including the Knox County Foundation, Ariel Foundation and the Energy Co-op Roundup Foundation. The high school pitched in to the efforts too: The wrestling team and the Key Club came to help with the project.
"The great thing for me about the funding of this project is that it's really evidentiary of a lot of the public-private partnerships we've had in Mount Vernon over the last couple of years — where we have the district, private foundations and individual donors participating as well," Ryals said. "One of our hopes was really to foster a sense of community since this is the walkable park for the folks that live in that neighborhood."
The new playground is open to the elementary school for use, with a few last-minute updates forthcoming. Mayor Matthew Starr will visit the playground for a grand-opening ribbon cutting next Friday, April 23, in a closed ceremony.
"[The students] have been really excited about using the new equipment, and it seems like some of them have been using some of the older equipment again as well," Ryals said. "Overall, the excitement for the playground has increased, especially this year when we're trying to have them spend time outside this year from a safety perspective. It's just been fun to see them use all of the new things."
