A Playground Rises At Middle Gate School

P

Parents, grandparents, friends and other volunteers spent a three-day weekend installing a new $42,000 playground at Middle Gate School. The brightly colored, metal and plastic equipment was made by Playworld Systems of Lewisburg, Pa., and paid for by a year and a half of fundraising.

“This was a real grassroots effort,” Middle Gate principal Judy Gallo said. “They have worked so hard. It’s incredible the dedication – they worked [Friday] in the rain – all for the kids. Some of the women here have never touched a tool before – they are learning.”

Ms Gallo said the parent fundraisers had been working more than a year on the project. “They are tireless – they never gave up,” she said.

During the school year the children also were involved, voting on what equipment they wanted and creating drawings of their ideal playground.

The playground committee included Alice Mascher, Helen Wiberg, Theresa Ciamarra, Chris Currier, Ray Chamberlain, Steve Stone and Kelly Clark.

“One of the parents works for [Southern New England Telephone] and arranged for SNET to bring equipment to dig the holes to anchor the playground,” Ms Mascher said. “Then on Sunday, when everyone’s hands were getting blistered by moving and spreading the mulch, someone remembered that their neighbor, Bob Wade of Meadowbrook Farm, had a big bulldozer. So they called him.

“Suddenly we saw this bulldozer – it looked like a piece of artillery – coming,” she said. “It made all the difference in the world in getting the job done.”

Many local businesses donated food for the volunteers including Dunkin Donuts, Big Y, Super Stop & Shop, Subway, My Place, Pizza Palace, Fireside Inn and Carminuccios.