Students help to shape future of Lyons Central School District playground

LYONS, N.Y. (WROC) — A long-time community playground behind the Lyons Elementary School is getting quite the facelift. Beloved by students and alumni alike, work has just begun to renovate the space in a move that’s expected to cost around $300 thousand from the Capital Improvement Project’s budget.

“The elementary school playground has a history of being a source of joy for our community. I’m excited our students will have an updated and improved place to play, explore, and grow,” said Superintendent Dr. Matthew Barr.

According to Dr. Barr, construction of the playground started ahead of schedule. So, he said, the hope is that it will be completed by the end of 2024.

The playground has been a staple in the Lyons community for what feels like a lifetime. Prior to the beginning of construction, Dr. Barr noted that folks driving by could see kids there on any given day. However, he said that a lot of the playground was simply outdated, with most of the equipment over 20 years old.

“We had to shut down pieces of equipment that were unsafe,” he said. “It was a priority to give our kids a safe, fun place to play.”

The space meant for kids is being reimagined by the students it intends to serve. Last schoolyear, the Lyons Elementary School student council group was tasked with drawing up their ideal playground. The new space is expected to be somewhat of a hodge-podge of their ideas.

“We made some really good ideas based off other playgrounds,” said Ella Prizel, a seventh grader at Lyons High School. “So, we were looking at the Geneva one and we were looking at playgrounds like, all around.”

In speaking with the kids this week, they told News 8 they were excited to see their ideas could make such a difference. So, we asked them what some of those ideas were. From new to old – some of the ideas were certainly unique.

“I am excited for the Gaga Ball Pit being made,” said Wyatt Zulauf, a seventh grader. “A lot of playsets for – not just people in the Elementary School, but also for older kids.”

“We have a whole ton of different plans, not all of them are going to go through, but hopefully some of the good ones,” Prizel said. “I chose the monkey bars, and I’m really excited and I hope that that’s going to be added because that’s always so much fun.”

This isn’t the first time kids had a hand in building up the elementary school playground. In a post shared from the Lyons Central School District on Facebook, one commenter reminisced about the old wooden playground from the ’80s-’90s, to which someone else replied “We collected pennies in elementary school, and we all helped build it!”

The Lyons CSD Capital Improvement Project

The new playground is part of an overall $55 million Capital Improvement Project for the district. The project, funded primarily from state capital funding allocations, doesn’t cost local taxpayers any additional tax dollars, according to Dr. Barr. The playground is just 1/2 of 1% of the project’s total budget.

Dr. Barr said it will also include necessary upgrades and modernization work to district buildings, as well as safety enhancements. When asked what those enhancements entailed, Dr. Barr said they intended to implement new security cameras, safety window tints as well as door-accessed controls throughout buildings. These controls are essentially a system where folks will need to have a proper badge to scan into rooms.

One phase of the project includes what’s being considered a “bridge” that would directly connect the back of the High School to the Lyons Community Center, which was recently acquired by the district. With it, a large building is expected to replace the concession stand and bathroom by the football field that would also include more classrooms, meeting spaces and other amenities.

To learn more about the project, click here.

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