Efforts are continuing to construct a new wheelchair-accessible playground at Wilmette’s McKenzie Elementary School set to be in place by the start of the 2023-24 school year.
The McKenzie Elementary School PTA is seeking to build a new playground at the K-4 school with the goal of replacing the existing structure with a more ADA-compliant schoolyard play area.
– Original Credit: Handout
“We realized that kids of all physical abilities could not enjoy our current playground for many reasons, the current playground is also very old, and we were ready for a new, more inclusive, safer upgrade,” PTA President Kim Lieb explained. “We want it to be fun for everyone.”
Once constructed, McKenzie would be the only school within District 39 to offer this type of playground.
More Top Picks Adhd Reading Apps And Tools That Actually Help
Lieb added plans call for a rubber surface with a wheelchair-accessible glider and a new six-place swing set with four belt seats and two ADA-compliant chairs.
At the end of the school year, plans are in place to donate the existing playground to another community following installation of the new playground. That process is scheduled to begin in late June and finished by July.
Lieb said the PTA has raised 85% of the projected $335,000 cost with one more large scale fundraiser, a Read-A-Thon, scheduled for late April.
“We are grateful to be a part of such a generous learning community,” Superintendent Kari Cremasoli said. “The fundraising efforts of the McKenzie PTA will provide its students with a new space that will engage and inspire all of their students for years to come.”
In March, the proceeds for the PTA’s variety show, a local tradition since 1980, were dedicated for the fundraising effort, Lieb said.
“We are excited the community can come together and provide such a wonderful gift to the McKenzie community,” Lieb said. “The kids will be able to enjoy this for generations.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.