Daily Pioneer News

Front Row (Left to Right) Kevin Buechel, Dan Borchardt, Andy Kraus, Seth Johnson, Bielka Liriano, Bob Schmitt, Sister Georgianna Dorsey - Principal

PLATTEVILLE - Cheers of joy and bubbling laughter filled the air as St. Rose parochial school children in Cuba City flooded their new playground equipment. In dire need of repairs, the dilapidated playground was demolished and re-designed by University of Wisconsin-Platteville students in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and Associated General Contractors (AGC).

Led by UWP student and current AGC president, Andy Kraus, AGC was contacted in spring 2005 to design and build a playground for the school of over 150 students. In fact, the previous facility was so run-down that student workers pushed it over as the easiest demolition tactic. Volunteering for hundreds of hours, eventually the old structure was removed and a new one built in its place out of treated lumber and plastic composite decking. "AGC looks for a similar project each year as an opportunity to work in the community. The design was completed by myself and TJ Burmesch, a UWP spring 2005 civil engineering graduate," said Kraus.

The design could not exceed existing 80 by 20 feet dimensions and needed to be appropriate for children in kindergarten through fifth grade. The new playground features traditional swings, a tire swing, fireperson pole, loft, parallel bars and tunnel. The ground surface is covered in woodchips to prevent injuries since safety concerns were a top priority for design team members. Working with a budget of $5,000 the team excelled in efficiency and provided a cost effective design leaving monies available for a slide to be added in the next few months. "We were able to use one of the children's favorite aspects of the equipment, a big yellow tube, to connect the two towered loft areas. Reusing popular items from the old equipment helped us minimize cost," said Kraus. UWP students diligently worked to complete the playground, volunteering time every Saturday from the beginning of the fall 2005 semester through Thanksgiving. One of the biggest aspects of the project wasn't the construction itself, but the organization of volunteers and getting supplies during the week. "It builds your confidence to organize such a huge in-depth project. AGC is a smaller group and we couldn't have done it without the help of ASCE, a larger group of students covering all branches of civil engineering," said Kraus. Commented freshman civil engineering major, Seth Johnson, "We had a lot of fun building the structure together as a team. Seeing all ages of students, freshmen to seniors, working together until the very end was motivating." "Everyone has their own talents. The greatest strength was working together at the same time to get the project done as quickly as possible. It was well worth the long hours to see the younger students at St. Rose enjoying it when it was completed. Their enthusiasm, reaction and the school's gratefulness made the project worthwhile," added Kevin Buechel, a sophomore civil engineering major. "The children love it. They did an excellent job with the project and a parishioner who's been in construction his entire life even commented on how well it's built. Hats off to all the workers and students involved for doing a fine job," said Sister Georgianna Dorsey, principal of St. Rose School. UWP students who contributed to this project include Dan Borchardt, Scott Borkovetz, Buechel, Dean Hefter, Johnson, Samantha Klapatauskas, Kraus, Bielka Liriano, Adam Mentink, Erik Oleson, Shawn Reimes, Matthew Rynish, Travis Sperberg and Robert Vater.

Contact: Robert Schmitt, AGC advisor, (608) 342-1239, schmitro@uwplatt.edu

Prepared by: Rachael Lehr, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194,lehrr@uwplatt.edu