Suring Elementary School gets new playground

Over the summer, Suring Elementary School replaced its playground.

The new playground is more inclusive and safer for school and community use.

“It was a necessary decision,” said Paul Orlich, Suring School District superintendent. The previous equipment was well over 15-20 years old. The year prior, we had to pay someone to come in and cut out some of the rusted components and weld in temporary fixes. So, from a safety standpoint, it was at its end-of-life cycle, and it needed to be replaced.”

The total cost for the playground was $156,000. The money for the playground came from Fund 80, the district’s community programs and services fund, which is intended for community recreation programs, day care programs or other community support. Fund 80 is totally separate from Fund 10, which is the school district fund. The money for the playground did not come out of Suring’s general budget, according to Orlich.

“Because playgrounds are utilized during the summer as well as during out of school hours and available to all community members, I just think that it’s a valuable improvement for not only the school district but the Suring community as a whole,” Orlich said.

The playground was ordered in early spring and was installed in during. Lee Recreation LLC installed the playground, and the components are made by Burke. Everything made was produced in Fond du Lac.