Published: Thursday, April 08, 2010

Special needs playground planned for Mill Creek

By Sydney Holtzclaw
Madison Magazine

The Madison City School Board approved construction for a special education playground at Mill Creek Elementary and plan to make the campus the site for special needs students.

The lowest bidder, KIDZ Zone Play Systems of Murfreesboro, Tenn., won the contract for about $15,000 last week.

According to Madison Schools Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler, the school board has had several meetings regarding the construction of a special needs playground at Mill Creek. He says the board is willing to approve the construction with one caveat.

"We've had special needs at Columbia; we've had special needs at Heritage; and now we have special needs at Mill Creek. I think the board is amiable towards this recommendation with the caveat that if we are going to be spending this kind of money here, we need to make Mill Creek the site for special education. That is what we intend to do with the special education wing at Mill Creek," Fowler said.

Architect Frank Nola of SKT and Frank architectural firm presented the board with the plans for the 5,000-square-foot playground that will occupy a courtyard area at the elementary school adjacent to the special needs wing.

"This playground is certainly for fun and education. There are things like swings and slides but there are also parts of the equipment that will help fine tune motor skills. The playground is centered on the kids having fun, learning, and getting exercise," Nola said.

Plans for the playground include wheel-chair accessible swings, a sign-language panel that includes musical instruments, and a Tic-Tac-Toe board. In addition the playground's concrete slab will be covered with a three-inch thick rubber surface to provide cushioning for falls. According to Nola the rubber surface can cushion falls from up to nine feet.

"Construction on the playground will commence as soon as the equipment ordered is received," Nola said. "The playground should be ready for the summer school session, which begins June 3."

Federal stimulus money amounting to $110,000 earmarked for special needs will be used in the construction of the playground. The other $5,000 was donated in the form of grants to the school district from state legislators Rep. Mike Ball, R-Madison, and Senator Arthur Orr, R-Decatur. "No general fund money will be used in the construction of the playground," Fowler said.