Accessible Playground Built on Partnership and Passion

Big dreams don’t always need grand beginnings. Sometimes a simple suggestion can lead to a magnificent outcome.

Three years ago, the staff at Kathryn Senor Elementary (KSE) came to the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and suggested that the playground needed improvements.  PTA Presidents Amy Villacci and Kelsey Vollmer rolled up their sleeves and got busy.

For more than three years, the PTA poured its energy into the project, raising $42,300 through Family Fun Nights, Holiday Markets, Butter Braid sales, and the creative Cash Calendar fundraiser, where kids collected donations to earn prizes. But they knew that would not be nearly enough to upgrade their aging playground.

With the backing of Principal Tara DeWitte and the Garfield Re-2 School District, Villacci and Vollmer approached the New Castle town staff seeking assistance with grants. New Castle Town Manager Dave Reynolds and Administrative Assistant Rochelle Firth suggested writing a joint Garfield County Federal Mineral Lease District (FMLD) grant to support their dreams of an accessible playground. Town council members threw their full support behind the project and even went a step further. The Town pledged $20,000 of its own funds in addition to assisting in a joint grant application.

Reynolds noted the PTA’s preparation, fundraising, and passion made a partnership arrangement an easy conversation.

“This wasn’t a project being dropped in our laps,” Reynolds said. “These parents had carried the load and were ready to partner. That made us want to join in.”

The result was a successful $160,000 FMLD joint grant, bolstered by PTA fundraising, town support, and a “community-build” discount. Together, those pieces brought to life a new multi-use play structure with climbing walls, slides, a spinner, and shade covering. It was all anchored by a poured-in-place surface making the playground ADA-accessible for children with mobility and sensory needs - the town’s first and only playground of its kind.

DeWitte said the company representative overseeing the work knew right away that this was going to be a smooth process.  

“We had more than 35 volunteers come together to build the new playground, and I heard the rep say, ‘These are mountain people. They’re going to get this done fast,’”  she explained with a laugh.

What was scheduled to take six hours wrapped up in barely three, thanks to parents, staff, and town council members who showed up ready to work.

For Villacci and her team, seeing it all come together on build day was unforgettable.

“Incredible! The KSE community is really something special, and many people showed up to support this project! It was such a rewarding experience.”

Now that the equipment is open, the vision is coming to life. 

“Mostly, we want the kids to have fun!” Villacci said. “The new equipment is colorful, engaging, and accessible in a way the old playground just wasn’t. There is a ton of research out there about the benefits of physical activity for behavioral regulation, academic achievement, and socialization. We’re hoping the updated playground is just one more way that KSE provides for the success of students both in and outside the classroom.”

Accessibility was central from the start. 

“The rubber surfacing that surrounds the new equipment removes the physical barrier that was created by the pre-existing pea gravel,” Villacci explained. “We are thrilled that this playground is accessible for the students of KSE and for the community as a whole.”

Playgrounds, especially accessible playgrounds, serve as vital community hubs.

“It’s not just a school playground,” emphasized DeWitte. “It’s a community playground, open to everyone, in the heart of town.”

In the end, this project is about more than equipment. It is about what happens when parents, schools, and local government collaborate and invest together. 

“We’re just thrilled,” said Reynolds of the new playground at Kathryn Senor Elementary. “New Castle now has an accessible playground, and it happened because passionate parents and founding partners like FMLD and others made it a reality.”