With designs in hand, the Melissa Jones PTO Playground Committee recently kicked off its fundraising campaign to rebuild the playground structure. With the goal of beginning construction in August, the committee hopes to raise close to $150,000.

Plans for the new project began almost a year ago. Melissa Jones students met with the project design company, Play by Design, in late September 2015 to design their new dream playground. Associate Project Chair Michelle Doheny said they are working hard to make that dream design a reality.

“Our goal is to preserve those memories by rebuilding and renewing our playground so that we may continue its legacy for future generations,” she said.

Members of the community built the original structure in 1989 with pressure-treated wood. Now nearly 27 years old, the playground is beginning to show its age. The wood has begun to deteriorate and contains low levels of arsenic and Committee Chair Sara Prior said it has become a safety concern.

“Several elements of the playground have already been removed,” she said. “There are ongoing safety concerns for the playground that also include bees and issues with lines of sight for teachers.”

The new playground will feature natural wood fiber surfacing, composite decking, structural plastic foundation, neutral natural aesthetics, increased lines of sight, and an increased number of swings.

Doheny said the goal is to create a new, high-quality structure that still keeps with the character of the original playground.

“It is very important to us that the new playground have the natural wood elements that have made our current playground so unique and beautiful,” she said.

So far, the committee has raised a quarter of what it expects it will need to complete the project. Doheny said they are likely to need $75,000 more and they are coming up with creative ways to get the money.

“We are especially excited to offer a Buy-A Brick Campaign to help us raise these funds so that the families and local businesses throughout the community may put their mark on the new playground,” she said.

The committee has partnered with Guilford business Shelly Brothers to engrave the bricks. The committee is also working to sell T-shirts, collect donations and materials, mobilize volunteers, and organize more fundraisers over the coming months.

For now, the committee is aiming for a six-day build around the second week of August and Prior said it will be a great experience to be a part of.

“We need to make sure it is done right and we need the community to join us once again,” she said.

To learn more about the project or to donate, visit http://mjsplayground.weebly.com.