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Two years after opening, the playground at Israel Loring Elementary School is closed for significant repairs. The closure was not announced to the general public prior to the beginning of work, but was announced today to the Loring community in a newsletter, a day after Sudbury Weekly contacted the district about the project. The playground is currently surrounded by construction fencing and caution tape.
The poured rubber playground surface has been removed throughout the entire playground, and some of the equipment has been moved off to the side.
Some of the fencing appears to have been pulled down either for construction access or by trespassers. There are also materials stacked nearby that appear to be related to the playground work, though we were not able to confirm that with a Sudbury Public Schools representative.
Sudbury Weekly contacted Sudbury Public Schools superintendent, Brad Crozier, on July 29 to determine the nature of the project, the funding source and the expected completion date. On July 30, Crozier shared a July 30 Loring school newsletter that stated the work was being completed at no cost to the district.
“I’m pleased to inform you that work has begun on replacing the playground’s play surface. The failed surface has been removed, and it was determined that the binder used in the installation was faulty. The company will install a new surface in the coming weeks at no cost to the district, and it should be ready for students on opening day.
We ask that families use one of Sudbury’s other playgrounds until the installation is completed. We are committed to making sure the playground is ready for our students and families to enjoy safely and soon!”
July 30 Israel Loring School School Newsletter
A review of the property on the Town’s OpenGov page did not turn up any permits for the work. Sudbury Weekly contacted the Sudbury Building Department to determine if the work was permitted, but we have not heard back from the department. We were also unable to obtain records of any permits for the original construction of the playground, even after contacting the Sudbury Planning Department.
In prior SPS School Committee updates, Superintendent Crozier indicated that the district was going to evaluate if there was any warranty coverage or faulty installation claim that could be made to address the issues. That approach appears to have been successful.
Construction of the playground began in 2021 and concluded in 2022. The Loring playground was the last of four elementary school playground projects spanning multiple years. The 2023-2024 school year was the second full school year with the new playground.
The project, like all the playgrounds, was originally funded by a combination of Community Preservation Act funds appropriated at Town Meeting and supplemental private grants and donations. An article at the September 2020 Annual Town Meeting established a budget up to $ 333,000 and included transfers of budget balances from prior playground projects:
“This article seeks to raise $71,000 in Town Funding, transfer the remaining 10/16/17 STM Article 12 Haynes Playground project balance, transfer the remaining 5/7/18 ATM Article 25 Noyes Playground project balance, and transfer $10,000 from the 5/6/19 ATM Article 29 Nixon Playground project funds. Secured grants and fundraising donations will fund the balance of this project.”
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This story will be updated with any new information that might be provided by Sudbury Public Schools or the Town of Sudbury.
[This story was updated after SPS shared school a newsletter containing information about the playground repairs. That newsletter was dated today, July 30. Sudbury Weekly contacted SPS about the project on July 29.]