ARTHUR – Three years ago, the playground at Arthur Public School was deemed unsafe, demolished and removed from the school grounds.
Since then, parents, school officials and a local business have been working to replace it.
That work has now come to fruition, and a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the school on Nov. 18 to celebrate the new park.
The playground cost about $200,000, principal Marni Barrow told the Advertiser, and was funded almost entirely by Musashi Auto Parts.
Barrow said students and parents were surveyed about what they’d like to see in a park, and that feedback was used to shape how the park was designed.
The school planned for construction to begin in April, she said, but it was postponed until May because of rainy weather.
She described an excitement in the air among the Arthur students since late last school year, when they watched in anticipation as the park started coming together piece by piece.
Some of the students even offered to help assemble their new playground, she said.
Barrow expressed appreciation for everyone who helped to make the park possible, noting the positive impact physical activity has on children’s lives.
And the park’s impact goes beyond the school day, she noted, with children regularly showing up during evenings and weekends to make the most of the new playground.
“It is used all the time,” she said.
The playground is part of what makes Arthur a safe community where children can play outside, Barrow said, and it’s something that leads students and the wider community to “really respect the school.
“It’s a really great sign of a strong community,” she said.
The students care about the playground and look after it, Barrow noted, always alerting her right away if there’s any problem.
The park was made possible when Arthur Public School parent council committee member Crystal VanGerven contacted officials at Musashi to ask for support.
Musashi general manager Mai Vang said the company agreed to contribute because “community is important to Musashi” and supporting the new playground aligned with the company’s philosophy.
“It’s great to be a part of this initiative that would help the local community and students with physical and social aspects,” she said.
And hopefully, some of the students enjoying the playground will come work for Musashi down the line, joked human resource associate Kim LeGresley.
Musashi is an auto parts manufacturer. It opened its first Arthur plant in 1997 and now employs over 500 people across two Arthur plants.
