SHELBURNE FALLS — The second phase of a playground project at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School will be wrapped up in time for the 2026-2027 school year.
Last summer, the first phase of the project was completed, which, according to BSE Playground Committee member Flannery Geier, was designed for students in preschool through first grade, and special education students.
This second phase involves building two new playgrounds, one at the front of the school and a second at the back of the school. Construction is taking place through Aug. 3.
The playground at the front of the school is for second and third graders, while the back playground will have two separate areas: one for children ages 2 to 12, and another that is an obstacle course designed for students in fourth through sixth grade. The equipment comes from Newton-based playground supplier Premier Park & Play.
“We had collaborative meetings with teachers and staff, trying to get their input on what would be most successful for different age spans,” Geier said. “One of the things we added to the older kids’ playground was actually these ziplines. The sixth grade teacher thought that would be fun. Kids could kind of race each other on these little, small playground-size ziplines.”
This second phase of construction is made possible in part by $45,000 from Shelburne’s Community Preservation Committee, which was approved with no debate at Annual Town Meeting. The first phase of construction was also aided by $100,000 from the Community Preservation Committee, as well as a $100,000 earmark secured by state Sen. Paul Mark and former state Rep. Natalie Blais.
“We were one of the first big projects that [the Community Preservation Committee] funded locally,” Geier said. “There are certainly other projects, but ours was the largest-scale one that they decided to invest in and we were so grateful for them believing in us. … We did extensive research into how playgrounds get built, where the money comes from and looking for examples in western [Massachusetts] specifically.”
Even with this, Geier added that the project would not have been possible without community involvement, support and volunteer hours.
Multiple local businesses have donated time, equipment or money to make this second phase of construction possible, as well as Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School families, staff and residents of the two towns. Without this, Geier said the cost for the playground could have easily doubled.
The companies include AGH Disposal & Recycling and Aubuchon Hardware, and members of Carpenters Local 336 and Daniels Land Management will be there during construction. Mike Michonski, a Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School parent whose wife Katie serves as treasurer of the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization, will also be on-site offering his equipment and expertise.
Another business donating its time is Great River Hydro, which, for the second straight year, removed the old equipment from the playground.
“Not only did they make a financial donation in the first phase, but last time and this time, they have helped with the site prep, which is pretty comprehensive,” Geier said. “They had to dig down really far on both sites and remove a ton of [soil]. I think last year, it was 40 dump truck loads of dirt.”
According to Great River Hydro’s Vice President of External Affairs Brandon Kibbe, the company donated $10,000 during the first phase of the project. He said being an active member of the community is “one of the core values” of the hydroelectric company, and many of the employees are happy to be working on playground prep for a second time.
“It takes a village, and in Shelburne Falls, you’ve got the village for it. It’s really a testament to that community and everybody stepping up,” Kibbe said. “In terms of our part, we have a crew of mechanics and electricians and technicians, folks that are hard workers that do a variety of different work for our hydropower facility. So, going into a playground and taking out that equipment and doing that work is pretty part and parcel to the work we do on a daily basis.”
With the possibility of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District consolidating to a single campus in the future, Geier said she envisions this not just as a playground for students who attend Buckland-Shelburne Elementary, but a playground for the whole community.
“Even if there’s consolidation in the district or the school is eventually repurposed, this would still be a space that would be a community gathering place for years to come,” Geier said. “There’s a lot in flux in the Mohawk Trail, so they really saw this as a great opportunity. And as a way to attract young families to come to our community, we want to build up our schools, and having great playgrounds is an important aspect of inviting people to visit and to live here.”
For additional information on the playground project, visit PTO’s website at bucklandshelburnepto.org/playground-fundraising/#phases.
