This Bellingham school is getting a new, inclusive playground
Silver Beach Elementary School in Bellingham will have a new, inclusive playground by the start of next school year.
The current playground will be replaced and expanded with updated surfacing and play equipment. The work involves improving drainage, building new retaining walls and building all new fencing, according to Bellingham Public Schools spokesperson Dana Smith.
The ground will have rubberized tiles, instead of woodchips, with the goal of making the space more accessible to those who may have trouble navigating an uneven surface. The tiles can also be easily replaced if they are damaged.
“It allows for a surface that people can just walk or roll right onto and it removes that barrier. Everyone can use it,” Smith said in a telephone interview with The Bellingham Herald.
The playground will still have the traditional elements of a playground, like swings and a slide. But they will be retrofitted to accommodate recreation for children in different ways. For example, the slides have a wider base at the bottom to support a safer landing while some of the swings have supportive backs and secure straps.
“Those are designed for children with a disability that may not allow them to sit up in a traditional swing,” Smith said.
This project is part of a plan by Bellingham Public Schools to create inclusive playgrounds at every school in the district. The district created a playground advisory committee in 2021 to guide that process, according to previous reporting by The Herald.
The designs are based on the concept of universal design, which aims to create an environment that is usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.
“We are working on that being our new standard across the district,” Smith told The Herald.
Sunnyland, Parkview and Alderwood elementary schools already have examples of inclusive playgrounds.
Construction on the playground at Silver Beach Elementary School, 4103 Academy St., is expected to begin in June and finish by mid-August, in time for the new school year.
Materials for the project are expected to cost about $844,000. The $122 million 2022 Bellingham Public Schools bond passed by voters is funding inclusive playgrounds and play fields at schools within the district.
