DERBY – School and city officials announced April 9 that a committee will be formed to design a new Bradley School playground, which was deemed unsafe April 4 and closed.
Jim Gildea, the chairman of the Derby Board of Education, said he hopes to see a new playground up and running by the start of the next school year.
“We will be able to assemble a committee and find the funds necessary, and have something in place by the heart of the summer. Most importantly I think we can do it without any impact to the Derby taxpayer,” Gildea said.
Officials interviewed this week said a new playground will cost between $100,000 and $200,000.
The playground was taken apart and removed from the school grounds by the Derby Department of Public Works on Wednesday (April 9).
By law, school playgrounds are required to be inspected for safety.
Derby Public Schools Superintendent Matthew Conway shared the April 1 written report with The Valley Indy.
The 27-page report was authored by Playground Medic, a company based in Westchester County, N.Y. The inspection was conducted March 26. The employee from the company evaluated the playscape on the playground, along with a 9‑foot tall swing set with eight swings.
The report notes there are four hazard categories. The most serious are “class A hazards,” which is defined as “any condition of the playground that is life threatening or could cause severe, permanent disability.”
The report found five “class A hazards” at the Bradley School playground.
They were:
1. Loose deck barriers and a rail detached on a plastic slide
2. Worn and frozen pendulums on overheard rings
3. Worn chains, “S” hooks and deck on a chain net climber
4 & 5. Insufficient amount of engineered wood fiber (a playground mulch) under the playground and swingset
An image from the report showing "class A" safety issues.
The Bradley School playground had 12 “class B” hazards, including rusted bolts and rusted equipment, protruding bolts in crawl tubes, and rusted holes at the bottom of a metal slide.
The report defines “class B” hazards as “any condition that could cause a serious but non-disabling injury.”
The report recommended removing the structures.
Parents have pointed to the need for a new playground at Bradley for several years.
Frustrated by a lack of progress, Bradley parents Eric and Heather Lazowski launched a group through the parent teacher association in 2023 to raise money through donations.
Eric Lazowski said he had mixed feelings about the closure. It’s bad that the students no longer have a playground, but it’s positive that they’re not in danger of getting hurt, he said.
“I knew it was in bad shape, but I didn’t think it was bad enough to be condemned,” Lazowski said.
Lazowksi’s group has raised about $25,000. Click this link to make a donation. Readers can also buy a meal at Derby’s two McDonald’s restaurants on New Haven Avenue and Division Street and ask that $1 be contributed toward a new Bradley School playground.
School district officials interviewed this week said repairs were being made to the playground as needed. Conway noted it was getting tough to find replacement parts because of the playground’s age and the fact that the original manufacturer is out of business.
“It’s not a surprise that the playground has been on its last legs. It was built in 1992 and rehabilitated in 2006,” Gildea said.
Bradley School Principal Mario Ciccarini said students at his elementary school still have playing fields and a blacktop area for outside recess. He sent a message to parents April 4 saying the playground would no longer be used.
“The school district will work closely with the city to solve the playground issue as soon as possible,” the message, which was widely shared by parents on social media, said.
This is the second time in 18 years the Bradley School playground was taken offline due to safety concerns.
The Electronic Valley has a post from 2007 highlighting the work of Derby Republicans for giving the playground a major makeover and upgrade.
“Earlier this year, the playground site, which is under the control of the Board of Education, was closed because of several deficiencies,” the post reads. “Parent Jim Stadt stepped in and organized several fund raisers with the goal of bringing the playground back into shape.”
Gildea said he is confident this time around the school district and the city will find the money to build a new playground.
A press release from the city and the school district April 9 said a formal committee will be created to plan for a new playground at Bradley School. Members will include members of the school board, school staff, city representatives, parents, and others.
“This committee will oversee the planning and installation process, with a shared goal of designing a new playground that reflects the needs of Derby’s students and families while providing a safe, modern, and engaging space for years to come,” according to the prepared statement.”
Derby Mayor Joseph DiMartino told The Valley Indy it’s too early to say how much the project will cost. But, like Gildea, he said funding should come from a variety of sources.
Officials told The Valley Indy this week that area families and businesses have reached out to get involved.
The complete press release from the city and the school district is published below.
With the Bradley playground now gone, there is just one playground in Derby, at the Irving School, which the public is allowed to use after school hours. There are no playgrounds in the city’s Witek Park or at deed-restricted Osbornedale State Park, which is owned by Connecticut.
