The Gazette talked with Heather Trudeau of the Garretson PTO and Garretson Insurance last week about the new playground equipment at the Garretson School. The work was done by Dakota Playground.
“This comes directly from the three-thousand dollar grant that we received from the Prairie Rose Winds Cooperative,” she said. “There is a brand-new set of swings as well as a geoplex climbing wall. Two drums and some outdoor musical equipment is also on the way.”
“The great thing is that this is just the start of improvements,” Trudeau said. “We’re hoping to continue to add on and update in three or four phases depending on what we can afford and when we can afford it. Phase two will be adding more pieces of playground equipment and phase three will likely be more ground work on the playground and replacing the base and wood chips with all new product. We will upgrade and change out the two larger pieces of the equipment. All of it will be wheelchair accessible and in compliance with ADA standards.”
As a bonus, Trudeau said that the old swings, which she says were beloved by many students, aren’t bound for a landfill or a scrap yard either.
“Jordan Doane from the City of Garretson took them and is installing them at the ballpark playground for use there, so they’ll still be around,” she said. “This way, every park within the city limits will have swings. It’s a bonus!”
Trudeau says that the PTO is always looking for new members and volunteers to help out.
“We’re going to continue our fundraising efforts into the fall with Garretson Blue Dragon Apparel, and we’re also researching some other communities that have done driveway painting, so expect to see some of that in the near future as well. Thank you to the parents that have supported us, the community as a whole for making this dream come true for us and our kids. We’ll see where the fundraising efforts take us this year, as well as what other entities want to get involved and we’ll continue applying for additional grants. If anyone wants to get involved with the Garretson PTO, feel free to contact me.”
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