‘This is amazing’ – Lyndonville elementary kids celebrate new playground
Photos by Tom Rivers
LYNDONVILLE – A new playground opened this morning at Lyndonville Central School and these fourth-graders were delighted to try the We-Go-Round.
The new playground is accessible for children with mobility issues and disabilities. The playground was designed and installed by Parkitects, a company owned by Lyndonville graduate Ben Frasier.
Kids could be heard shouting, “I Love it” and “This is amazing” as they tried the different playground equipment.
One fourth-grader goes down a double slide.
The new playground includes a We-Go-Round, Sway Fun Glider, We-Saw and other equipment that will be accessible to kids of all abilities and mobilities. The previous playground was over 20 years old and wasn’t handicapped accessible.
Dr. Heather Lyon, Lyndonville superintendent, checks out a new sensory dome in the playground by the elementary school. The sensory dome is an intended spot for children on the autism spectrum to get away from the activity and noise from the other parts of the playground.
Lyon was thrilled to see the children having so much fun on the new playground.
“You cannot have a bad day when you have this much joy,” she said about the happy kids on the playground.
Ben Frasier, a 1988 Lyndonville graduate and owner of Parkitects, gets ready to cut the ribbon and open the gate for kids to try the new playground. Fourth-graders Sophia Kleeh, left, and Ernest Orgar hold the ribbon while Dr. Elissa Smith, principal of grades PreK through 6, leads a countdown.
Ben Frasier gives a victorious gesture after cutting the ribbon. He said it’s phase 1 with plans to expand, adding equipment geared towards older children.
He will be meeting with students next month and wants to hear their vision of a “dream playground.”
Frasier believes with fundraising, grants and in-kind services, Lyndonville can build a great playground for children of all ages.
These kids play on the Wee-Saw.
Frasier and Parkitects donated about $250,000 in equipment and in-kind services to the playground. Parkitects had a team of 18 employees on site on Oct. 6 to install the playground.
The school district also was able to use $160,000 in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for playground equipment.
Donations for the project included Orleans Ready Mix with concrete; Watson Construction Group with removal/demolition of all of the old playground equipment and 14 inches of mulch; Barre Stone Company with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Shelby Crushed Stone with 100 tons of crusher run stone; Town of Yates with hauling the stone to the school; and Medina Lumber & Hardware with pressure treated 2×12’s covering 228 linear feet around the perimeter.
Play Surface Specialties installed the 3 ½-inch rubber surface which includes an outside lane with orange paws prints. Lyndonville’s school mascot is a tiger.
