Help Build the Future of the Franklin Playground!
Our goal is to transform the Franklin playground into a vibrant, safe, and inclusive space where every child in our community can belong and grow.
Donate $750 or more to add your name or a message to the new Lakeside fence!
The Vision: Why This Matters
The Franklin Playground is more than a place to play – it’s the center of the Franklin community. It’s where children build confidence, friendships, and social skills, and where students and families come together as part of the school community.
Over the past year, our community took an important first step toward creating a safer, more welcoming playground. The first major phase of the project addressed some of the playground’s most pressing infrastructure needs by regrading the entire space, adding drainage to address long-standing water and ice concerns, relocating the shade structures to provide better coverage of the play area, and adding more than 15,000 square feet of new sod. These improvements create a stronger, safer foundation for the future of the playground.
But our vision goes beyond repairing the infrastructure. We have an opportunity to thoughtfully transform the playground into a space that reflects Franklin’s values of inclusion, safety, and belonging – a place where every child can play, explore, and connect with their peers.
When a playground is inaccessible or difficult to navigate, it can unintentionally exclude children and families from these important shared experiences. We believe every Franklin student deserves the opportunity to participate in play and community life alongside their classmates.
The next phase of this work will build on the foundation we have created, with a focus on creating a more inclusive, engaging, and accessible play environment for all students. This is more than a playground improvement project. It is an investment in our children, our families, and the future of the Franklin community.
Our Values
Our redesign is guided by four core pillars:
Inclusion & Accessibility
Ensuring every child, regardless of ability, can play together and no child is left on the sidelines.
Safety First
Modernizing infrastructure and remediating long-standing drainage issues that cause the blacktop to be unsafe in icy and rainy conditions, which are present throughout most of the school year.
Natural Play
Integrating greenspace and gardens to connect our kids with the environment and allow students and staff to use this space throughout the core K-2 curriculum that looks at trees, birds, and pollinators.
Community
Creating a central space for families to gather and grow, strengthening the community/school relationships and fostering belonging.
Project Timeline: A multi-year transformation
We are tackling this build through strategic annual phases to ensure steady progress, fiscal responsibility and minimal disruption to play.
Phase 1 | Summer 2026 — COMPLETE | $350K
We are so grateful to celebrate the completion of the first major phase of the Franklin Playground transformation. This $350,000 investment was made possible through more than $150,000 raised by the Franklin/Randall community and an additional $200,000 investment from MMSD.
This phase focused on addressing critical infrastructure and safety needs while beginning to transform the playground into a more welcoming and engaging space. Work included:
- Regrading the entire playground and adding drainage to address long-standing water and ice concerns
- Relocating the shade structures to provide better shade coverage across the playground
- Removing the oldest play structures
- Replacing the deteriorating concrete wall and fence along Lakeside St with a new fence
- Adding a track around the playground space
- Adding more than 15,000 square feet of new sod
- Adding new freestanding climbing areas
- Adding a ReviWheel Spinner, one of the playground elements selected by Franklin students through a student vote
- Adding a new bay of swings, including a Friendship Swing
This work creates a safer, more functional foundation for the next stages of the playground transformation.
Phase 2 | Spring & Summer 2027 | $100K
Inclusive Play & Gardens
The next phase will focus on expanding opportunities for all children to play, explore, and connect. We hope to add more inclusive play equipment as well as garden spaces that bring nature and hands-on exploration into the playground.
Planned additions include:
- Cozy Dome
- Ground-level play elements
- We-Saw
- Roller Table
- Additional inclusive swings, including the Flexx Swing, another element selected by Franklin students
- New garden spaces
Together, these additions will create more ways for students with different abilities, interests, and play styles to participate side by side.
Phase 3 | Summer 2028 | $100K
Large Play Structure & Rhapsody Chimes
The next major equipment phase will add another large climber/play structure, expanding opportunities for active and imaginative play. It will also add Rhapsody Chimes along the walking path, creating an interactive musical element that can be enjoyed by students of different ages and abilities.
Long-Term Needs
One remaining play structure is approximately 30 years old. While we have made smaller repairs to extend its useful life, it will eventually need to be removed and replaced.
As funding becomes available, we hope to replace this final aging structure and continue investing in the playground so it remains a safe, inclusive, and vibrant space for Franklin students for years to come.
Become a Part of the Legacy
We need our wonderful community to help close the funding gap to make this project a success. Please donate now to help us achieve this goal and contribute to the future of the Franklin community.
Donate $750 or more to add your name or a message to the new Lakeside fence. Interested in splitting a plaque with friends, neighbors, or a group? Each person can donate separately – just email playground@franklinrandallpto.org with the names in your group, and we’ll handle the coordination.
