Volunteers Team Up for Area School Playground Project

When classes resume next month and students return to Daniel Boone Elementary School, new playground equipment will be awaiting them.

They have many volunteers to thank.

From parents to teachers to administrators, dozens of volunteers gathered Saturday to install the new equipment.

The project was made possible through the work of the school’s PTO group, which hosted a variety of fundraisers over the past year and raised $27,000.

The school district also is contributing funds to cover the expense of having a solid surface installed at the playground site.

Much of the existing playground equipment was removed and will be scrapped. It’s believed the equipment was over 30 years old.

“It’s been exciting to see all the hard work by us and the kids has paid off,” said PTO President Angie Duncan said. “We’ve seen our dream come to life. It was a pipe dream when we started. But everyone has been so helpful.”

The volunteers worked throughout the day Saturday. One group pieced together sections that included multiple slides and monkey bars. Nearby, other volunteers put together a climbing apparatus while another steered a Bobcat so that holes could be dug, the final landing spot for the new equipment.

Paid contractors from Fry and Associates assisted volunteers with the installation.

While some finishing touches still need to be made, organizers said the project will be completed by the time school starts.

Local businesses also contributed. Orscheln gave the group a discount on concrete, Wal-Mart provided a gift card to cover other purchases and Warrenton Rental offered equipment for the day. The school district’s food service also made breakfast Saturday morning for the volunteers.

While taking a brief break Saturday, Dr. Carrie Schwierjohn, Daniel Boone Elementary principal, was thankful for the work that went into and the time spent on the project.

“Our PTO is so awesome,” she said. “They have done everything. Our families in the school were awesome. There would be a new fundraiser and they took off with it.”