Construction for the Legacy Park playground project in Jenkintown begins this month, but there have been changes to the original plans.

Kelly Gober Husdon, Legacy Park community board leader, told Glenside Local that the dates for the do-it-yourself weekend have changed to July 30 – August 2 (the original start date was July 28, as shown on Jenkintown School District’s Legacy Park page). Community members can register to volunteer here.

“I emailed the district when the playground originally closed. I brought up the idea that this is the only green space we have in Jenkintown and saw an opportunity to give back to the community in a way that benefits everyone. We wanted to look at the site holistically and address as many problems as possible in one fell swoop,” Gober Hudson said. “It’s been a tight core group of volunteers. We wrote a charter to do the fundraising and events, and then we have regular meetings with the school board. It’s a way to operate with volunteers in charge but within the red tape of the district.”

The project replaces the Jenkintown Community Playground castle behind the elementary school, which was demolished in April. Fundraising efforts accrued over $1.5 million drawn from over 1,600 individual donations, which ranged from $1 to $100,000 from various individuals and companies. Two pro-bono architects are on the community board.

“If this was left to the district, it would’ve probably taken five years to get off the ground. We were able to identify a need that the school wouldn’t have been able to take on. They’ve supported us throughout the process,” she said. “We know this town likes to show up in a physical way so we tapped into various groups who are building various things over that weekend.”

That list of projects include:

• Ball runs courtesy of the Jenkintown Rotary Club
• Libraries courtesy of Capricorn Books and the Jenkintown Public Library
• Hammocks and tree hoops courtesy of Jenkintown Kiwanis
• Stage and seating courtesy of Jenkintown Music Theater
• Local musicians- Musical elements courtesy of local musicians
• Chalk board murals courtesy of the Jenkintown Sustainability Committee and the Jenkintown Environmental Advisory Committee

“Everything had to be approved by a board vote,” Gober Hudson said, noting that the renderings below were approved by the school board in June:

“We’re trying to align with the wood design from the previous playground. The wood we’re using is for ships, so it’s dense and durable,” she said.

The community board is estimating the project to cost $1.3 million with a 10 percent contingency (in other words, $930,000 plus the contingency).

The Jenkintown School Board of Directors approved the construction of a new playground last January. A ribbon cutting is expected in September at the earliest, October at the latest.

For updates, you can visit the Legacy Park at Jenkintown Elementary Facebook page. For more information and to donate to the cause, you can click here.

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.

Images: Legacy Park at Jenkintown Elementary Facebook page