WAIKOLOA VILLAGE — On their first day back at school Friday, around 80 kindergarten students at Waikoloa Elementary &Middle School spent recess playing on the first and second graders’ playground.
But if all goes as planned, later this week they will be unleashed onto a brand new playground built just for them.
“A community cleanup of the old kindergarten playground was held on June 14,” Waikoloa PTSA president Stephanie Landers said. “Business Services Hawaii donated the use of a roll off dumpster for the day.”
The total cost of the playground was $135,000, according to Principal Kris Kosa-Correia. The school spent $20,000 in addition to $100,000 from the Department of Education (DOE). Waikoloa School PTSA volunteers donated $15,000 from money raised at a variety of charity events they hosted the previous school year.
“It had to be built around the DOE’s specs,” Kosa-Correia said.
New playgrounds must be inspected by the DOE before students can play on them. An inspection was scheduled at Waikoloa Elementary last Wednesday but postponed due to Hurricane Hector, she said. It has been rescheduled for tomorrow and, if all goes as planned, students will be able to use the new playground Wednesday.