Adams Group Sets Work Day, Fundraisers For Wacky World
 The wooden playground now has signs posted advising people to use the equipment at their own risk. |
ADAMS, Mass. — A newly formed group is looking to recreate the efforts that built Wacky World 20 years ago to replace the dilapidated playground.
The wooden play structure behind C.T. Plunkett Elementary School was built by a community effort but has since fallen apart so badly that children can no longer play on it.
During the school year, the children were not allowed on the structure because the metal has rusted, the wood has splintered, the slides are broken and insects have infested it.
When Steve and Stephanie Melito heard from their 7-year-old that the playground was unusable they became active in looking to restore the playground. The couple joined with about 15 others in the community to form "Wacky World Warriors," a group looking to raise money to first do repairs so it is usable and then to replace it.
"This is a new generation that is stepping forward in the spirit of the original Wacky World," Steve Melito said on Wednesday. "If we don't do it, nobody will."
The playground has a soft spot in the hearts of many in the community, who grew up playing on it. The School District last year reported that the structure was too dangerous and needed to be torn down, which triggered outrage from many who don't want to see it go.
The district had planned a replacement, but pulled that proposed funding from the budget in a series of reductions.
Melito didn't want to see the playground razed either until he looked closer into the issue. He realized that the school needs a new one because a restoration would need ongoing maintenance the district can't afford. Replacement, he said, is not only a long-term solution but also comes with perks.
"We'd like to replace it with an open structure so it will be easier to police at night," Melito said, adding that needles, beer bottles and other such items have been found on the playground and presumably had been left there by non-students at night. "C.T. Plunkett also has a problem with parking so with a new structure we can put it further back and the school can expand the parking lot."
Melito estimates a new playground would cost somewhere between $50,000 and $75,000 so he doesn't expect a new structure to be installed for a while.
"I didn't realize it would take so long to get replacement equipment," Melito said.
So before the group focuses on raising money for the new playground, it is first raising money and asking for volunteers to help restore Wacky World enough so it can be used.
"We're going to make some safety-related repairs so the kids can use it in September," Melito said, adding that the group has met with a contractor who has identified the immediate needs. "We're looking at short-term repairs."
The work day is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 10, when some of the wood will be sanded, a swing set will be reinforced and new sand and wood chips will be laid.
To pay for the materials, the Wacky World Warriors are holding a 50/50 raffle and bottle drive during Hi-Jinks Night (the annual street fair) and holding a Chinese auction and another raffle at the Agricultural Fair. Additionally, donors can make deposits into an account opened in the Wacky World Warriors' name at Adams Community Bank.
The money will pay for the repairs and any leftover funds will be put toward the replacement equipment.
Melito said the fiscal situation of many families are not as good as they were in the 1990s when the community first came together to build Wacky World.
Tags: fundraising, playgrounds,
