By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – St. John Parish school system officials broke ground Tuesday on the first of nine projects to improve playground equipment at the parish’s elementary schools.

St. John Superintendent Courtney Millet joined school board members and representatives from SCK Trucking and General Construction at Emily C. Watkins Elementary in LaPlace, site of the first playground equipment project.

“We’re kicking the project off here because Watkins is a newer school with no playground equipment at all,” Millet said. “We are planning to move on to the next schools on the list in a matter of weeks.”

The playground equipment, which will be going up at every elementary school in the district, will be funded through a $46 million bond issue approved by voters in November 2008. The playground equipment is one of several facilities upgrades for schools across the parish to be funded by the bond issue.

Adonis Woods, construction manager for the project, said each school is being outfitted with soft-surfaced equipment designed to be handicap accessible. The equipment, which includes a series of slides and climbing parts, will be built on a base of concrete with an upper layer of high impact rubber material designed to absorb trips and falls. He said each school is getting about 2,000 square feet of playground space.

Emily C. Watkins Elementary Principal Antoinette Robinet said she is excited to hear that the project is ahead of schedule and said the students have been anxious to get some kind of play equipment.

“The kids have been doing jump rope and other fitness activities during recess so they are looking for something new to play with,” Robinet said. “I’m glad the school system gave us the privilege of being first. Hopefully before the Christmas holidays we will have the equipment ready.”

Woods said contractors will begin setting the concrete surface today. He said the project, which was originally slated for completion in early 2010, should completely wrap up in just under a month.