Recess.
It’s a 15- or 20-minute break from class, or after lunch. But for some kids, it’s everything.
The Mahomet-Seymour School Board began to look at plans for the Middletown Prairie Elementary Phase II playground during a board meeting in July of 2016.
At the time, former Superintendent Rick Johnston described plans for an enclosed courtyard that would include playground equipment, green spaces that would include an educational garden and access to a soccer field, along with several concrete structures for children to play.
Johnston, now the Building Construction Consultant for Phase II of the Middletown Prairie project, revisited the playground plans during the Feb. 12 board meeting, describing a more open space for children to play.
The enclosed space, which is roughly the same size as the current Sangamon Elementary playground, now includes more “open” concrete space, two playground structures (one of which is existing from Phase I), three basketball goals and a 4’x12’ garden space.
“We want a lot of space to be active,” Johnston said. “Instead of putting a lot of other things into the concrete area up in the corner, we want to try to leave that open for kickball and running and just general play.”
Johnston said staff was concerned that the playground area would not be enough space for the Pre-K through second-grade students, but he feels like their concerns were eased when they saw the area of the space from the second story classrooms on a recent walk-through.
Board members were concerned about the amount of green space within the playground.
Originally, it was thought that students would have access to a soccer field outside of the building during play time.
Board Member Jenny Park asked, “Do you think there is enough green space? What I envision kids always want to do is play kickball or soccer, and those all require green space, not concrete.”
Lincoln Trail Principal Jeff Starwalt said that although third through fifth-grade students have access to green space on the playground, they often take the ball to the concrete area when the grass is muddy.
Middletown Elementary Principal Wendy Starwalt added that students will also have access to stored equipment, such as balls and jump ropes, while they are on the Middletown playground.
Starwalt said taking students to the proposed soccer field would be challenging for staff.
“When you try to try to move 225 six and seven-year-olds, that distance in a short amount of time, it’s near impossible,” she said. “It’s like herding cats; it’s just really complicated. And it is a huge building, so to get them out there would be a waste of playtime. They’re going to run to where they can go play the quickest.”
Starwalt also said it would be a challenge to staff two play areas during recess.
“We’re limited on supervision as it is with the number of students to let two more (staff) take them outside the confines of the area (the enclosed playground). It would have to be at least two people and possibly would put us in an awkward situation. It’s just logistics, to be honest.”
Starwalt said that P.E. teachers may use the outdoor green space (the soccer field) for instruction.
The plans that were shown to board members in July 2016 also showed grassy areas inside of the playground. Last spring Johnston talked about conduit that would be placed across the playground to plan for a watering system in the future and maintenance access.
But at the Feb. 12 board meeting, Johnston said that getting grass to grow and stay alive in enclosed spaces is often tough.
“To get grass to grow in these spaces, you’ve got to maintain it, you’ve got to water it, you’ve got to take care of it,” Johnston said.
“So, that’s an issue when you’re in this situation.”
The educational garden space will still be accessible to classrooms through the 4’x12′ garden space. Starwalt said the district’s Wellness Committee will come up with a plan to utilize the garden.
Johnston explained that school design changes are typical during construction.
“Remember that a lot of times a school design, what staff wants to do at that moment when you first start having those conversations, is due to what they already have.”
While the focus of the playground discussion revolved around purchasing a playground structure, which may have seven or eight climbing apparatus, depending on the cost, Johnston was not able to provide the final documents to the board as it went out for bid at the beginning of February.
“I don’t want to share it tonight,” Johnston said. “But it’s going to be doable with the help of the PTO.”
The Mahomet-Seymour PTO donated $11,000 towards the playground at the beginning of the meeting.
Johnston said he would present the bid for approval at the board meeting on March 12.
Even after the bids come in for playground equipment, the process of landscaping the playground may not be over. Johnston said after students and staff use the space, modifications would be accessible.
“The footprint is the footprint,” Johnston said. “So, it’s good to have those spaces, just for that reason. And then, can we work out the logistics if we find that it’s not what we thought it was going to be?”
During Phase I, the district spent $106,000 on the playground. This included a $25,000 donation from local businesses.
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On Dec. 7, the Mahomet Daily asked for documents or information with regards to the current budget for the Middletown playground renovation and district plans for the layout of the playground and purchase of equipment.
Superintendent Lindsey Hall said, “At this time we’re in the planning stages for the playground. The MPE playground isn’t being renovated — it’s being expanded. There is no layout yet because final decisions about equipment are still being discussed. There are so many choices! The playground equipment is part of a much larger bid package that includes a variety of equipment for the new building, so the specific dollar amount for the playground is flexible. It’s pretty early in the process to have this decision made. I’d say check back in late January and some definite decisions might have been made by that time.”
The Mahomet Daily checked back with Hall on Jan. 31.
Hall replied via email stating that she would meet with Johnston on the following Thursday.
After their meeting, Hall told the Mahomet Daily that it would have to file a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain the documents.
The FOIA request, that asked for “any and all budget and monetary plans, playground designs and renderings, whether preliminary or suggested or final since the beginning of the Phase II Middletown building project,” was denied with the following response:
“Proposals and bids for any contract, grant or agreement, including information which if it were disclosed would frustrate procurement or give an advantage to any person proposing to enter into a contractor agreement with the body, until an award or final selection is made, information prepared by or for the body in preparation of a bid solicitation shall be exempt until an award or final selection is made.
“Preliminary drafts, notes, recommendations, memoranda and other records in which opinions are expressed, or policies or actions are formulated, except that a specific record or relevant portion of a record shall not be exempt when the record is publicly cited and identified by the head of the public body.”
Design renderings were made available to the public at the open board meeting just three days after fulfilling the FOIA request.
