Come next school year, Unalaska elementary students will likely be swinging from shiny new monkey bars.
The Unalaska City Council approved a budget amendment late last month to fund a new playground this fiscal year to the tune of $2.6 million.
Lucy Ortiz, a fourth and fifth grade teacher at the elementary school, told council members the condition of the current play structure is a serious safety hazard.
“We're not asking for a playground for fun,” Ortiz said. “We're not asking for a playground because this one looks bad. We're asking for a playground because it's dangerous and we want to protect our kids.”
Several other community members spoke in support of the replacement, including the elementary school principal.
Originally, the renovation was planned for next fiscal year, but city officials say the condition of the 25-year-old structure warrants a replacement sooner.
Some council members raised concerns about accelerating the timelines for previously planned capital projects. But ultimately, the council voted unanimously to appropriate funds ahead of schedule to begin work on the play structure this fiscal year.
Officials say if the city waits until July — the start of the next fiscal year — to begin the process, the playground wouldn’t be installed and ready to use for the start of next academic year.
It will take about four months to manufacture and ship the equipment for the new playground, according to officials.
The Unalaska City School District and the Parks Department worked with Great Western Recreation — a playground equipment supplier based out of Utah — to develop the new design, which includes a dinosaur-theme structure and turf surfacing for the field.
