June 3, 2009
George Mason playground burns in the night
wtvr has details on an overnight fire that destroyed the playground at George Mason Elementary:
Fire crews were called to the school at 3:30 this morning. [...] When Richmond fire crews got to the school they saw flames shooting 30 feet into the air. The fire melted most of plastic playground equipment.
47 Responses to “George Mason playground burns in the night”
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Oh man, that stinks. That was a nice playground.
Let’s just hope it was a careless accident. I’d hate to think it was intentional.
From RTD: “According to officials, the mulch at the playground appeared to have been set on fire.” Burning down a kid’s playground, that’s pretty low.
That sucks! That was the closest playground to us, it has decent shade for the grownups and my kids loved it.
The sad thing is that there are teenagers on the playground equipment all times of night. We can see the playground from our house. I didn’t notice anything strange, but we were all sleep. We have enjoyed playing on it as well, although we have had to leave a few times because of the people who often hang around.
What the hell!! I don’t live near there, but I hope that someone who does caught sight of the vandals.
This is horrible. My son is devastated. Hopefully we’ll have a new playground before summer is over.
There is a curfew in the City of Richmond for teeagers under the age of 18. I have called the police several times on young people who are hanging out after 11 pm. I feel like it is really for their own good and the police are very responsive.
Of course, usually, I am not awake at 11 pm! But no high-school age kid should be out that late at night. If they are, it’s good bet that they are hanging out with the wrong crowd and are up to no good.
wth. i’m sick of this stupid sh-t.
“But no high-school age kid should be out that late at night. If they are, it’s good bet that they are hanging out with the wrong crowd and are up to no good.”
I’ll call BS on that… it’s up to the *parents* to manage their kids. Not the city, state or federal government. Just what we need… more government intervention in our personal lives.
Also, to suggest that any teenager out after 11:00pm is “up to no good” is just outrageous. In addition, if we start off by assuming that our children are “bad”, we’re not showing them any trust or respect. Why should they trust or respect us as adults, then?
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Sorry, no highschooler needs to be out on the street after 11. I can think of no reason at all why a teenager should be hanging out at a child’s playground in the middle of the night.
If they are responsible, they know there is a curfew and will respect it.
If the parents don’t control them, and I see them, I will call the police each and every time.
After reading the most recent reports, I’m now inclined to believe that it was not an unfortunate accident, as I first hoped this morning. I’m afraid my mantra of “give people the benifit of doubt” has taken another hit.
BTW…If the parents can’t manage their kids, I’m more than willing to have my tax dollars do it.
The TV news stated this was $70,000 worth of damage.
Speaking of teenagers up to no good…
Up until about an hour ago I was Scoutmaster of BSA Troop 414, a troop of young men here in Church Hill who are up to a LOT of good.
These boys regularly feed the hungry, help to provide shelter for the homeless, and help to provide coats for the poor at Christmas.
It happens that one of our remarkable young men is currently working on his Eagle rank and, coincidentally, is looking for a community service project to complete this summer.
In our meeting tonight, I told him about the loss of the equipment, and he’s already planning to talk with the school administration.
Of course, he’ll not be able to singlehandedly rebuild the playground equipment, but he can help to mobilize the community to raise funds assist in the replacement.
If any of you would like to be a part of a project that will not only benefit our community but also benefit one of our young neighbors who has a lot of promise, please e-mail me: stretch@stretchphotography.com
Also, please take a minute to check out some photos of the boys at http://stretchphotography.com/414
Finally, the reason I resigned as Scoutmaster is because I’m moving to Miami for a masters degree. I’ll miss my guys a lot.
Here’s another angle on this. If this really is $70K worth of damage (as reported above) then that = salaries for two teachers for the entire year.
“Sorry, no highschooler needs to be out on the street after 11. I can think of no reason at all why a teenager should be hanging out at a child’s playground in the middle of the night.”
I’m afraid I have to side with “nonsense” on this one…
When I was a teen, I used to be out late at night with a telescope, watching the sky, and learning.
If you’re so afraid of school-age kids, my suggestion is that you move into a community for the elderly, where there are no kids allowed.
The last thing we need is closed-minded people like you arbitrarily restricting the freedom of one group of people merely because you have an irrational fear.
Buffalo:
$70K is more like one teacher’s salary. Paying a full-time teacher costs more than just the salary – benefits greatly increase the amount the employer pays.
Besides, I can imagine the reaction of the teachers at an elementary school if you told them they were going to have to go a year with no playground.
A playground is going to last a lot longer than a single year – unless you have arsonists around. I’d suggest they make the figure $71K and get a good DVR security camera system along with it.
School playgrounds should hold the same hours as parks that close at dusk. If you’re hanging out after dark, it’s considered trespassing whether you’re a child, teenager, or an adult.
So… I count 19 posts so far…
Does that mean 19 contributions toward replacing the equipment?
Ask yourself: Are you just a member of the Church Hill Peanut Gallery, providing self righteous colour commentary to the events of the day, or do you have the guts to actually step out of your comfort zone and do something positive?
“Sorry, no highschooler needs to be out on the street after 11. I can think of no reason at all why a teenager should be hanging out at a child’s playground in the middle of the night.â€
-Somebody who doesn’t remember being a teenager!
When I was in high school I would stay up all night taking long exposure night photography I would go to desolate & abandoned areas because I liked the “urban decay”. Sometimes I would see police, of course, but this was a time when police showed discretion. Sometimes I would sneak a cigarette or bring a boy with me. We would go to a playground and swing on the swings and make out “under-the-boardwalk” style. I wouldn’t even sleep before going to class again. My family and neighborhood trusted me. I can’t imagine anyone who would bother the police just because of my presence.
This is a different time when people rely on public institutions to make personal decisions for them. I hate to say it, Libertine, but it is most likely you and I who are going to have to move away one day.
Ok, stretch, we get it, you want us to support your scout’s Eagle project. We appreciate him taking the initiative, but don’t you think 12 hours is a little soon to start bullying people into contributing??
There’s no reason for kids under 18, still in school (it was a weekday, right?) to be out after 11pm. When I was that age, I respected that those were the limits set for me in order to protect me.
Let us not forget that these people were not stargazing after curfew, they were playing with fire and playing with your tax dollars in a very counterproductive manner.
Stretch, I think your Life Scout has a great idea, and I’ll certainly help out if I can. I wasn’t aware that I was required to mention it when I posted.
Jennifer,
I wasn’t suggesting they hire teachers instead of repairing the playground. I was simply trying to illustrate the “true cost” of this incident through comparison with a teacher’s salary.
I admittedly did not perform an in depth analysis of the value of a teacher health care plan, but I can tell you that starting SALARY in Virginia for a public school teacher is in fact very close to $35K-$38K. I know this because both my wife and my mother are teachers.
Even when you factor in healthcare, starting compensation for a new public school teacher is NOWHERE NEAR TO $70K.
Maybe a more straightforward cost comparison is this: An adjunct faculty member of one of Virginia’s accredited community colleges receives $2,000 per semester per class – with no benefits whatsoever. So $70K = the adjunct teacher’s salary for teaching THIRTY-FIVE semester long community college classes.
My broader point: $70K can buy a lot of good in the public sector. The destruction of this playground incident is a colossal waste.
Stretch, have your potential Eagle scout set up a bank account specifically for the playground equipment. I’ll send a check (or, if you set it up at a local bank like the Suntrust on Broad St in Church Hill, I’ll drop the check off).
You might also have him look into whether the city park and rec foundation can help with this, or whether it has to go thru the school system, which recently got dinged badly during an audit for the way they purchase stuff.
My employer will match contributions that I make to recognized non-profits, and certain other organizations – but it takes a long time to file the paperwork to become a 501c(3) organization, that might take until next year to finalize. Could the Boy Scouts for the area be a supporting organization? In other words, have the checks be made out to them but specify for playground equipment? I have no idea what their tax status is, but perhaps they could serve as a clearing house for donations for the equipment? Thinking out loud on the blog, so to speak…
Is there a chance that the school would have an insurance policy in force that could assist with rebuilding the play ground?
The rec and Parks foundation is a 501 C 3, but the playground is school, not parks. According to a news release this morning, the Public schools foundation has set up an account for the George Mason playground. Unknown if 501 c 3.
For Deanna, I think school system is self-insured.
In other Church Hill fire news, a house on the 1400 block of Rogers St. apparently burned down last night. It’s been a bad week for fires in the neighborhood.
I believe the news article said that the school insurance policy has a $100K deductible, so I doubt they will file a claim.
The Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation has created a special fund to replace the fire-destroyed and damaged playground equipment at George Mason Elementary School.
The equipment, which included a metal and plastic-coated sliding board, was valued at $70,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
David L. Ballard, chairman of the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation, has announced that the foundation will contribute $2,000 to the Mason Playground Equipment Fund.
Citizens and businesses that would like to make tax-deductible contributions may send their donations to:
George Mason Playground Equipment Fund
Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation
301 North Ninth Street, 17th Floor
Richmond, VA 23219-1927
Attn: School Board Clerk
The government is typically self-insured, which means no insurance policy.
Special Playground Equipment Fund Set Up To Help George Mason Rebuild:
At 3:15 the same day of the fire, a fire alarm was pulled inside the building. do you think possibly someone was timing the response of the fire squad?
also the school is slotted to be torn down and rebuilt next summer along with 3 other schools, do you think the students will have to wait a year for a new playground?
Teacher, do you mean 3:15 in the morning? If so, how did someone gain access to the building at that hour? Or was it at 3:15 in the afternoon?
Also, if the school is slated to be torn down and rebuilt next summer, I find it hard to believe the new playground will be installed prior to the new building being finished. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to build the playground if there’s going to be construction equipment there that would either damage the playground or prevent access to the playground. It only makes sense if the playground will be totally out of the construction picture and the kids could use it regardless of construction.
How could a plastic slide be worth $70K.
I’m going to see if I can get the contract on this job. I’ll cut the city a “deal” and “only” charge them $50K for the replacement plastic set.
From the RT-D editorial page today:
According to the “broken windows” theory of crime, broken windows, graffiti, trash-strewn lots, and their like invite crime. Dilapidation reflects social breakdown and cultural collapse. This community cannot take care of itself, the eyesores say. The landscape invites mischief.
A charred playground is a broken window writ large.
A fire, allegedly set by an arsonist, destroyed the playground at George Mason Elementary School. A place of innocence and joy now resembles a battlefield after the armies have left. As depicted in a photograph in yesterday’s
Times-Dispatch, the remains of the playground break the heart. In the story about the fire, Zachary Reid reported that although the school will remain open for programs throughout the summer, the playground will not be restored soon. The school system’s insurance policy has a $100,000 deductible, and the cost of repair is estimated at $75,000 — which is a significant sum for a system with a tight budget.
Let Central Virginia rise to the occasion.
We cannot imagine a greater example of spirit and grit than a determination by groups and individuals to fix the playground — now. Playground sets can be donated. Volunteers can offer to set up sandboxes and slides. Perhaps a civic group would like to adopt the playground. Do unto others, says the rule. Love one another, is golden, too.
Children considered the George Mason playground a home. For many, it likely served as an oasis, sanctuary, and refuge. In tended gardens flowers bloom. Youngsters flourish in happy surroundings. A swift fix would teach a lesson of compassion and citizenship. And the restortation of glad space would serve as a greater compliment to Richmond’s character than would proposals to build stadiums or other vast schemes.
Check this out!
http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/news/local/article/PLAYGAT04_20090605-174001/272072/
Oh my! One philanthropist is going to replace it ALL, and all by himself? That’s wonderful!
DN, your link didn’t work – try this one.
At any rate, Mr. Singleton has certainly stepped up to the plate. Maybe he can coordinate with the Scout who was interested in helping?
This is amazing news. I’ll bet there is still something that could be done (even after $70k) to beautify the lot and show that we love that playground. Perhaps our Scout could help coordinate volunteers to plant flowers, or some other project to get us involved with the restoration.
David,
I did a little research and found manufactures and grant money that might be available to help with rebuilding the playground. Please send me an email if you would like to put our heads together and work on this. deanna@314n36thst.net
Just read the article!
Bravo Mr. Singleton, bravo.
Good news like this deserves a front page post :)
What great news!
Can someone tell me How popular was this playground and, what type of crowd were the regulars? My “gut” tells me someone didnt like who was using this park regularly and wanted to send them a message.