New playground coming to CC/E preschoolers

Big things are happening for preschoolers at Clay Central/Everly Elementary.

The school board last month approved the purchase of new playground equipment to be installed in the Nature Learning Center, which is where preschool students play at recess. The new equipment will be delivered and installed by Boland Recreation, of Marshalltown, at a price tag of $58,950.

According to Director of Student Services Michelle Huntress, the unit will be installed in September.

"We look forward to having this new equipment yet this fall for our students to enjoy," she said.

Huntress said a few unusable wooden items in the Nature Learning Center will be removed, with additional pea gravel installed to reduce weed growth. The sandbox, playhouse and stage will remain.

The new addition will be significantly less than an original estimate by Boland Recreation, which had pegged total play area upgrades at $390,815. The school board in April noted that quote was for a "pie in the sky" preschool playground, and it was never the district's intention to install new equipment at such an extravagant price.

According to previous discussion, the Nature Learning Center has become outdated and hard to maintain. Many of the untreated wood fixtures are rotting and weed management has become an annual headache.

Boland's original quote included a five-area breakdown of the Nature Learning Center featuring a play unit, climbing rock, swing set, boulder ridge climbing wall, various activity panels and hopscotch board. Optional surfaces were also featured.