Troy schools get new ADA-accessible playgrounds

Troy Heritage Trail Elementary School and Troy Craughwell Elementary School have new playgrounds this year.

This summer, Troy Shorewood Elementary School and Troy Cronin Elementary School in Shorewood will receive replacement playgrounds.

In a year, William B. Orenic Intermediate School will receive its first outdoor playground. Ben Hettel, director of facilities and operations at Troy Community Consolidated School District 30-C, said in a news release from the district that this playground will be designed with skills in mind, to help students with sports and other similar activities.

This year, William B. Orenic Intermediate School also received a new outdoor learning space, along with new basketball hoops and blacktop-painted four-square.

In the news release, Hettel said the equipment at Trail Elementary School and Troy Craughwell Elementary School replaces equipment that was installed 20 years ago.

Hettel started researching playground equipment in 2019 to find options best suited for Troy’s five elementary schools. A local landscape architect analyzed the schools’ needs and then a formal plan was approved by the school board, the release said.

These playgrounds are ADA-accessible. The walking surfaces are made of rubber that was poured into the space. Hettel said the rubber should last a long time and is considered a safe playground material.

Hettel said is one of the safest playground materials and has a long life expectancy.

“When designing these playgrounds,” Hettel said in the release, “it was important to us to make them accessible to the community because they often use the equipment in the evenings and on weekends, and we encourage that.”