MEXICO — While the new Mountain Valley Community School is on target to open next January, work is just beginning with configuring the school’s three playgrounds.

Regional School Unit 10 Superintendent Deb Alden said June 13 that the school, which is pre-kindergarten to eighth grade, will have one playground for “the very littles — kindergarten and below — because we’re going to have early children education. Then one for the intermediate — first through fourth (grade) — and then another area that will come with a basketball hoop and a few other things.”

She said that when the state agrees to fund a new school, as the Maine Department of Education did for this school, “there’s certain things they will do for a school, and then other things they won’t. And if the community wants those other things, they’ll have to pay for them.”

The playground equipment is part of that.

“The state, in any particular project, will give you some money toward a playground. But they don’t, in any way, say ‘What would you like for a playground and we’ll pay for it,'” said Alden.

Alden said currently they’re fortunate in that they haven’t depleted their full contingency amount, but that contingency is to cover any unexpected costs regarding the school.

“The interesting fact is that we’re in a district,” she said. “We’re seven towns and not all seven towns will send kids to this new building. So you have to be cognizant (of) do those other towns want to be paying for extra things that their children won’t be taking part in?”

Alden said they’re working on a playground committee. Members already included are the new school’s interim Principal Mark Thibodeau, former Select Board Chair Greg Buccina, Athletic Director Jeff Pelletier, teacher Jessica McMichael, Business Manager Leah Kaulback and teacher Kati Mazza.

She added, “We’re also looking for parents and staff from Rumford Elementary School, or the middle school, who might like to serve.”

Alden said playground equipment is extremely expensive.

“Even if the state were to say, ‘(We’d) be able to fund up to $100,000,’ that sounds like a huge amount of money, but it isn’t when it comes to wanting new playground equipment,” she said.

She said they have a person who has a playground business who is working with Devon Roberts, the district’s facilities person, to look at their current playground equipment and see what could be reused. “There won’t be a lot of it.”

Part of the project is to get the ground appropriately designed.

“To think about what we want for the playground, our theme for what we have for the school has a lot to do with the outside and our environment, so we want to have some natural elements in the playground. We have an outdoor education committee that will be involved in this as well,” said Alden.

As far as the expense of three playgrounds, she estimated, “Between what the state could help us with (contingency monies) and what we could also come up with, if we would come up with a total of $200,000 to $250,000, we could probably have what we really want.”

“We’re looking for public and business donations,” she said. “We’re looking for ideas. What is hard to do is, I know there’s people who would like to give free labor. But we really have to have the playground installed by professionals due to liability concerns.”

Regarding donating supplies or volunteering labor to assist in the project, Alden said it has to be under the supervision of whatever professionals are doing the installation, and if they are able to use the help or not.

Those who would like to serve on the playground committee, offer ideas or donate to the playground effort can contact the RSU 10 Central Office at 207-369-5560.

One business has already stepped up. On June 13, the Oxford Federal Credit Union recently made a $5,000 donation toward the three playground project. Credit union Marketing Coordinator Emily Jamison said, “We like making significant community donations, and something like this is a great cause for the amount of students that are going to be benefitting from it.”

Alden noted that first-grade teacher Abby Mazza was instrumental in getting the donation.

She said the expected playground completion date is Jan. 1, 2026.