Buckeye to replace and repair playground equipment over the summer

YORK TWP. — Buckeye Schools is working to have new and repaired playground equipment for its youngest students before the start of the 2025-26 school year. The Buckeye board of education approved the replacements and repairs during its special meeting Thursday. Superintendent Jeff Stanton said it appears that the playground equipment on the primary side is original to the school, which was built in 2002. An insurance review determined the playground is not out of compliance, but it is in need of repair. "The primary playground was equipment that the insurance review indicated was of concern," he said. "We looked into the fact that it's original. We looked at the price, and we feel that the best thing to do is to completely replace the primary playground equipment." Similarly, the preschool playground needs extensive repairs, Stanton said. It is no longer considered age-appropriate for kids between the ages of 2 and 5. "I am going to assume that at one point it was considered age-appropriate, but it is no longer considered age appropriate," he said. "Again, we felt that the current structure needs to be removed and replaced." The intermediate playground will just be receiving repairs over the summer, rather than a full replacement, Stanton said. Each playground will also receive more wood chips. "We also looked into putting the rubberized (flooring) in there," he said. "That is an extreme expense. We didn't think that was the right thing to do, but we have to raise the level of mulch on all of those playgrounds pretty significantly." The estimated associated costs for each project from Snider Recreation Inc. are as follows: About $31,000 for the intermediate playground. Nearly $78,000 for the primary playground. About $34,000 for the preschool playground. About $10,600 to install wood fiber. "It come in at a pretty high cost, but we believe it is the appropriate cost," Stanton said. "(Treasurer Mark) Donnelly has confirmed it is well within the budget." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.