Kingston -– State Representative Kathy LaNatra announced that she secured funding for the Dennett Elementary School playground project in Plympton. The funding, which comes as part of the Massachusetts House of Representatives fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget, is in the amount of $25,000.
The funding will be used to increase the rubberized surface beneath the playground to increase the playground’s accessibility for students with disabilities and to create a safer environment for students to play. Initially, the project was listed as ADA compliant. Due to this funding in the FY22 House budget, the project will now increase to ADA+ compliant.
“Ensuring equitable accessibility in schools is of the upmost importance,” said Rep. Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston). “This accessibility must extend to all facilities and the playground is no exception. Recess is a wonderful time for students to develop friendships and learn valuable social skills. In filing this budget amendment, I wanted to ensure that each and every student at Dennett would have the ability to do this in a safe, and accessible manner. I want to thank the Dennett School Committee and their commitment to the Dennett students. I was thrilled to have been able to assist in any way I could with this project.”
The Dennett Playground Project was published last week and the process of soliciting construction bids will begin in the coming weeks.
The project has been years in the making and has been a top priority of the current school committee. The project is funded through school choice funds, as well as the funding from the State budget.
The rest of the funding will come through Community Preservation Act funding, which was voted on at the Plympton Annual Town Meeting on May 12..