Neighbors hate playground equipment's "atrocious" colors...~Super Princess~

Cedarburg - After a group of parent volunteers installed new playground equipment at Parkview Elementary School last month, neighbors saw red. And yellow. And blue.

For some of them, that was precisely the problem.

"I love children. I love the schoolyard," said Phyllis Widstrand, who has lived across from Parkview for 33 years and enjoys watching children play there. "(But) the colors are atrocious. They're McDonald's colors. They're bright yellow, bright red, bright blue."

Widstrand and her husband, John, are among 23 neighbors who signed a petition protesting the brightly colored equipment. The neighbors are asking school officials to screen the swings and slides on two sides with evergreen trees.

The bright primary colors look out of place in the area, according to Widstrand, who said she would have preferred more subtle earth tones.

"It does not fit the Cedarburg type of landscape," she said. "Maybe the children do like (the bright colors). I think they would be just as happy with brown, beige and green."

Although she can't see the playground from her house, Dori Cesario signed the petition because she understood the concerns. Many people wished they had been consulted ahead of time about the equipment's appearance, Cesario said.

"It looks like McDonald's with all those colors. It does stand out," she said. "My grandchildren like it, and it looks cute, but they should have asked us first."

Robin Wienkers, president of the Parkview PTA, said the equipment was purchased by the group after a fund-raising campaign that lasted more than two years. The PTA raised $40,000. Members wanted to replace some older equipment and also expand the playground area, Wienkers said.

The equipment that was installed was chosen with input from Parkview students.

"It seemed appropriate for a playground at an elementary school," Wienkers said of the equipment.

No parents of Parkview students have complained to her about the colors. But she has heard from parents concerned about the safety and security of the children and the playground if trees were planted.

"If you plant trees around it, you cannot see it," Wienkers said. "The more you can see it, the fewer problems you are likely to have."

Some parents also believe the trees would be an unnecessary expense for the district, she said.

The neighbors' concerns surfaced almost immediately after the equipment was installed in mid-May. The issue is being discussed by the School Board's Building and Grounds Committee.

Officials estimate that purchasing enough trees would cost $4,000.

The board's place? Board member Phil Vollrath, who is a member of the Building and Grounds Committee, said he doesn't believe it is the board's place to use district money to appease the concerns of a handful of residents.

"I don't believe it is something the district should be spending money for," Vollrath said. "I think it sets a very dangerous precedent."

He also noted that the Cedarburg Police Department has warned officials that planting trees would present a security risk.

In a letter sent to Superintendent Daryl Herrick earlier this month, Detective Jeffrey Vasholtz, a juvenile officer with the department, registered strong opposition to the idea of planting trees around the playground.

"Concealing the play structure is simply an open invitation for a perpetrator who wishes to take advantage of a child that is playing there," Vasholtz wrote.

Keeping the playground unobstructed makes it easier for police and neighbors to check on things and acts as a deterrent for illegal activity, he said.

Board members are scheduled to keep discussing the issue at the next Building and Grounds Committee meeting on July 1.

"I feel with all the things going on in the district and in the world, this is a relatively minor issue," Vollrath said. "I'm all for the parents. I really am. But I have a problem with this one."

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