Children of all abilities will soon have a new playground on the “West Side” of the city.
West Side Elementary recently announced on their website that phase one of construction of a new all-abilities playground is currently underway with removal of old playground equipment taking place at the school’s track.
The $85,000 project was conducted by various fundraisers from the West Side Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), which operates as a nonprofit organization.  According to West Side, the City of Elizabethton contributed the final amount of funds to have the project receive the greenlight.
It was a proud moment seeing the goal reached, according to West Side Principal John Wright. The school official added the playground will be available for students at the school and will be accessible to the public.
“Our parents saw the need not only for our school, but for our city,” Wright said. “I’m excited we will have this type of playground on the west side of town. It will be open after school hours for all the children of Elizabethton.”
“It really makes me proud to be from Elizabethton just to see how all the community came together to support the fundraising efforts at the school,” he continued. “I wasn’t sure if we would ever raise $85,000 but we were able to do it with the help of many in under two years.”
The new playground will feature a bevy of activities for children of all ages, while being handicap accessible for all attendees.
“So often our children with physical challenges are left out of activities that many other children get to participate in,” Wright said. “We are so excited that this structure will be accessible for children of all abilities.”
Elizabethton Mayor Curt Alexander said the city was more than happy to assist with the project.
“I just drove by and the tractors are at the playground working right now,”Alexander said in a phone interview with the Elizabethton Star Friday. “We’ve been behind this project since Dr. (Corey Gardenhour) come to us about it. The City wants to do its part to support our school system. John Wright and the staff at West Side have done a tremendous job fundraising and the community support for the project has been tremendous. They raised so much money and we told them we’d be more than happy to cover the rest. It’s a big addition for the west side of town and will be an asset to so many children and their families. Seeing the community come together like this is just another reason why Elizabethton is the best place to live.”
Over the past two years, the PTO has performed a variety of fundraisers to help get the community and school population involved with the project. Whether it was getting pied or having other fun events for children, Wright said he appreciated the work put in by the organization.
“It was a joy to work with the PTO,” Wright said. “Alainya Hare, Regina May and Lisa Simerly were the force behind this project. They all have very different personalities and gifts, but they came together perfectly to make this project a success. Many, many other parents have given countless hours of their time and we definitely appreciate their support.”
As work continues at the school, Wright said the community will be able to utilize the playground by the start of the school year.
“Weather permitting, we hope to have the playground finished by the time school starts,” he added. “If not, it should be finished very soon around the beginning of the school year.”