- Allentown's Hiram Dodd Elementary got a new playground
- The playground was made by Pa.-based Recreation Resource and cost just over $165K
- The playground officially opened Thursday, featuring speeches from the school's principal, as well as Superintendent Carol Birks
ALLENTOWN, Pa.— Outside Hiram Dodd Elementary School, the kids excitedly formed a crowd to see their brand new $165,354 playground officially open.
Some were literally jumping with joy and having trouble focusing on the speeches — eyes wandering all over the different components of the metal playground that probably appeared giant, especially to the smaller kids. The playground was funded through the Allentown School District's facilities budget.
It was made by Recreation Resource, a Pennsylvania-based playground company.
Speaking into a microphone hooked up to an outdoor speaker, Allentown School District Superintendent Carol Birks pumped up the crowd.
"You're going to think about all those great lessons you learned on the playground, all those lessons you learned at Dodd and all the memories you will create today."Carol Birks, ASD Superintendent
"I heard the entire fifth grade is here today, is that true?" Birks asked on the mic, with the same tone a DJ would use at a nightclub.
"Yeah!!!" the kids yelled back, some clapping — standing near the back, one boy quietly said "no" as a joke, which got a laugh from his friend next to him.
Birks gave a speech, which tugged at some nostalgia.
"Getting on the playground is much more than just sliding and swinging," she said. "You're also building a sense of self, your own character, and getting to and developing life skills that will take you a long way."
Birks went on to explain how some of the friends she made in fifth grade on the playground — "That was just yesterday," she joked — are still her close friends to this day.
"And we still talk about those times in school, those times on the playground," Birks said. "So, as you play on the playground today, look at your friends — think about how a few years later, you're going to think about all those great lessons you learned on the playground, all those lessons you learned at Dodd and all the memories you will create today."
For three years, the students at Hiram Dodd had no officially designated place to play except trees and the field. That's because the last playground, built in 1994, deteriorated to the point of being off-limits in 2020 and was finally demolished in 2021.
The new playground features the same red, white and blue paint patterns, an homage to the 1994 edition.
We asked some of the kids what they thought was going on in 1994 and received some interesting responses.
Raelynn Helfrich, a Dodd student, said she believes the typical playground in 1994 would have been "rusty swings, no slides or not really fun ones."
When asked if she thought color TV had been invented yet in the 90s, Helfrich said, "No, I think it was black and white."
Asked what the music in '94 would have sounded like, she said "I think there was not a lot of music except jazz and classical,"— but before she could finish, a kid came up from behind and chimed in: "Biggie and Tupac!"
Helfrich said she knows her parents were alive during the 1990s but didn't know much beyond that — though she added that she loves the new playground, especially the slides and monkey bars.
Playground specifics
The new playground features a few state-of-the-art components.
The ground is lined with soft, wooden mulch, which is designed to improve safety and provide cushion in the case of a fall.
There is a "sign language board" under the shade of one of the platforms, where kids can learn ASL with the help of a metal diagram.
Three slides are in the playground in total, which is designed to provide age and comfort-level appropriate options for kids.
For differently-abled children, there are wheelchair-accessible components, as well as swings with a seatbelt-like bar which makes it easier to stay buckled in.
