Located in the center of the borough, the Media Elementary School playground is the heart of the community. The Media Elementary School Playground Renovation Project aims to improve this already special place by updating the current playground structures with components that will keep kids of all ages and abilities occupied, excited, and stimulated.
Paola Haenn is the leader of this nonprofit venture to renovate the playground. In the winter of 2016, she and other members of the Parent Teacher Group (PTG) began meeting with the Rose Tree Media School District to start planning the project. The PTG began the funding for this project by funneling any excess money from previous fundraising events into a future playground account and the Playground Committee was formed. In 2018, they launched two major fundraisers: a silent auction hosted by Playground Committee members, and a bag bingo event hosted by Styling Points Salon in celebration of their thirtieth anniversary. Several generous donations were made to the Playground Renovation Project by the Media community, one of the largest being a $25,000 donation by the Media Five Mile Race. Other Media businesses who have donated include the Rotary Club of Media, Ariano’s, and many anonymous donors. Media Borough recognizes the importance of the renovation project both to Media Elementary School students and to the Media community overall. To date, the team has raised $185,000 for playground renovations.
The Playground Renovation Project will be completed in five phases. The first and most time consuming phase involves installing three large structures spanning the entire length of the playground on the Edgemont Street side. The new additions will include a big rope dome, a slide structure, and a large swing set area equipped with several basket swings that allow two or more children to swing together. All of the new pieces were chosen to encourage inclusive play so that children of all abilities can enjoy the playground.
The five phases will amount to a total of $410,000, but the start of each phase is dependent on fundraising efforts. The second phase intends to add a new play area near the kindergarten classrooms that is specifically designed for children ages 6 and younger. Phase three includes two new pieces of a swing bridge and climbing ramp, while phase four will add five new pieces, including different types of spinning apparatus and a tiki carousel. The five new pieces in phase four will span the State Street side of the playground. The fifth and final phase plans to revamp the current basketball court area. New basketball hoops will be adjustable for all ages and abilities, and an area for soccer and kickball will be added as well. Click here to check out the new equipment in each phase!
Construction is in the process of being finalized for the first phase but is tentatively scheduled to begin by mid-December. The Playground Renovation Project is very special to the borough as it will be accessible to all residents and is a collaboration between the school district, small businesses, and Media Borough itself. If you would like to donate to the Media Elementary School playground, please click here.