Last night’s public presentation on expanding Sandown North’s playground space was attended by just three members of the public. That is too bad because a good slide was produced showing the various locations for expanded parking and field/playground enlargement.
The original idea of placing a playing field on the hill in front of the school seems to have been dropped in favor of other possibilities though it was not specifically addressed. No mention was made of the outdoor classroom but I did ask Kelly Ward after the meeting where it would go and how large it might be and how it would relate to the new structure that is now in place. Mr. Ward provided some information on that project which is still preliminary.
Any Changes Must Tie in with Future Expansion Plans
At the May 11 Capital Improvement Plan meeting, a request was made for a $1.73 million expansion to Sandown North to include 8 new classrooms in 6 years. This proposed expansion and how it might affect playground plans was mentioned at last night’s presentation only after my inquiries. Facilities Director, Mr. Hughes, said the expansion should not impact the current driveway; nevertheless, the plans presented to the CIP committee need to be studied relative to playground changes. From my understanding of the plans, the 60 x 60 expansion looks like it pokes right out into the driveway off the C Wing.
All Changes Should Comply with Best Practices for Playground Space
For best practices, I found this through the National Institute of Building Sciences (www.wbdg.org/resources/playground.php):
Estimating Square Footage Needs
Since the Gross Motor Play Zone is typically the largest and main zone within a playground, it is helpful to determine the square footage that will be needed for this area early in the design phase. The inclusion of additional zones in the design will require additional square footage. Research indicates that the greater the number of square feet allotted per child, there is a corresponding decrease in the number of injuries. The chart below gives guidelines for sizing the area of the playground that will contain the Gross Motor Play equipment.
| Quality | Square Feet per child* |
|---|---|
| Substandard | 60 |
| Good (Minimum) | 75 |
| Better | 100 |
| Best | 200 |
*These square footages include the use zone that is strongly recommended around playground equipment for safety. This zone is typically 6′ minimum extending in all directions from the perimeter of play equipment; however, there are variations for slides and swings. The recommended use zones of playground equipment are discussed in both ASTM F1487 and on pages 6-8 of the CPSC Public Playground Safety Handbook (PDF 1.2 MB). Source: www.wbdg.org/resources/playground.php
Although not applicable to a renovation situation, the state of NH requires 5 acres of contiguous buildable land in order to approve state funding for a new elementary school of SN’s size.
Ed 321.03 Minimum Standards for School Sites.
(f) The minimum site size approvable for school building aid for new construction, including additions to existing buildings, for elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools shall be as follows:
(1) For an elementary school the minimum site size shall be 3 acres of contiguous buildable land for schools with a design capacity of less than 150 students and 5 acres of contiguous buildable land for schools with a design capacity of 150 students or higher;
Before any public money is spent on badly needed expansion to the grounds, the public and the school board should be given quantitative information about
- the square footage of playing space around equipment
- square footage for all fields
- total outdoor playing area square footage with and without new “outdoor classroom”
- current and projected student enrollment figures
- plot plan for the entire site showing boundaries and topography
- proposed expansion plans for the building and its impact on the grounds and driveways
I’d also like to be assured we haven’t missed any state or federal requirements or recommended best practices. A letter from DOE about playground space requirements would be a good idea.
Rectangles on a Google map are a nice start, but they are just that. A start.
timberlaneandsandown 