WEST NEWBURY – Superintendent Justin Bartholomew, Page Elementary School Principal Dustin Gray and the Page Playground Working Group invite the community to attend one of two virtual presentations about planned improvements at the Page School playground.
Playground community meetings will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 4-5 p.m., and Monday, March 1, from 10-11 a.m. Attendees will be encouraged to share their comments and questions.
The current wood chip playground surface is out of compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and not accessible to all children in the school and town. The current playground also has limited use due to broken equipment and seasonal drainage issues.
A concept put forward by parent Tricia Sabulis would create a new playground with an ADA-compliant poured surface and accessible equipment, to ensure all in the community may use it.
West Newbury Town Meeting last year approved the use of Community Preservation Act money for the project. The town also received a state grant of $20,000 toward new equipment and creating an accessible path.
The town, which owns the school property, hopes to offer a Request for Qualifications for design proposals in early March. Designers will be interviewed by town, school, and parent stakeholders, and a final selection will be made in mid-April. Engineering and site work could begin as early as mid-May.
Residents interested in attending a meeting may sign up by emailing Principal Gray at [email protected]
Residents who are unable to attend either meeting, but still want to be a part of the discussion and process, may request a feedback form from Principal Gray by emailing [email protected]
For immediate release