Brackett School playground on Sept. 26 / Carol Beggy photo
UPDATED, Oct. 2: The complete overhaul of the playground at the Brackett Elementary School is going along at a fast pace and will be finished by the end of October – if the weather continues to cooperate.
Brackett School, which sits on Eastern Avenue across from Robbins Farm, serves students in grades kindergarten through fifth grade. The playground project started just as the school year began, with students using nearby Robbins Farm for recess breaks and other outdoor activities.
The total cost of the Brackett playground reconstruction contract is $841,900 and the contractor is JNJ Sacca, Inc., which has an Arlington address, according to information provided by the school department.
The project at Brackett overlaps with the ongoing $2.1 million renovation of the playground at Robbins Farm Park, directly across Eastern Avenue. That project has been delayed for the construction of two 30-foot concrete slides that are being manufactured in California. The Robbins Farm work was originally scheduled to be completed in August before school started and prior to the playground renovation at Brackett.
Brackett School Principal Gretchen Vice gave the school’s families an update on the playground project in a September newsletter and included an overview of the new play area’s layout that can be viewed on the school’s webpage.
Work at the Brackett has been moving quickly, with crews seen on-site after school working into the evening. Playground equipment was installed the weekend of Sept. 26-27, according to Francis Gorski assistant superintendent of finance and operations.
“With good weather, the project will be completed by the end of October. If it rains and/or gets cold, the squishy playground [surface] cannot be installed until the spring,” Gorski said via email. “If the [weather] doesn’t allow the surface to be installed, wood chips will be loaded on the playground to allow it be utilized.”
When the project at the school is completed, the students will be able to stay closer to their classrooms – and bathrooms. In addition to new playground equipment, the Brackett playground will have a basketball court, after several years without one at the school. The students have used the basketball court at Robbins Farm, which was updated several ago. But because it is lined for pickleball, the Robbins Farm court is now used throughout the day and not reserved exclusively for students.
This news story by Carol Beggy, was published Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, with an update from information provided by the Arlington Public Schools on Oct. 2, 2024.
