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Sept. 27, 2011
For immediate release
For more information, contact:
Tammy Snodgrass or Bonnie Prigge, (573) 265-2993
Belle Elementary awarded $20,000 grant for recycled tire playground surface
New surface will increase safety; provide education opportunity for students
BELLE— Belle Elementary in the Maries County R-2 School District has been awarded a $20,000 grant through the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for a recycled tire surface to upgrade one of its playground areas for its 357 students.
The grant was awarded in July through DNR’s Scrap Tire and Illegal Dumping Unit. Revenue for such projects is generated to the Scrap Tire Subaccount through a $.50 fee collected on the sale of new tires. Funds are allocated up to 50 percent for enforcement, permitting and inspection, up to 45 percent for grants and up to 5 percent for education.
Meramec Regional Planning Commission in St. James, Mo. was the grant writer for the Scrap Tire Surface Material Grant. The Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District lent its support to the project and will help provide educational support. These funds, awarded annually, are used specifically for the cost and delivery of scrap tire surface material for playgrounds, running tracks, walking trails or other surfacing projects.
Grant recipients are required to purchase material that is at least 40 percent Missouri-generated scrap tires. The scrap-tire material may be used as a loose material, a pour-in-place covering or as mats.
EnTire Recycling of Rock Port, Mo. provided project materials, which included shreddings from 1,033 recycled tires. Legacy Safety Surface of Kansas City, Mo. was the project contractor.
Belle Elementary used the grant to install a 2,100 square foot pour-in-place playground surface, which was completed this month. The new surface increases the safety of the playground by replacing deteriorating wood mulch with a smooth play surface.
Maries County R-2 School District Superintendent Dr. Zachary Templeton noted the benefits of the project.
“We are very confident it will be a lot cleaner, safer and a more aesthetically appealing means of protecting our students,” Templeton said. “It will be something that is a source of pride for the district.”
The new recycled-tire surface will also allow the opportunity to reinforce solid waste management education through the school’s curriculum. The playground will be a visible example to students, and the public, of what a waste product–the tire–can become.
“It’s something we can educate students on–being responsible. A lot of elementary focus is ‘reduce, reuse, recycle,’” Templeton said.
Templeton thanked MRPC Executive Director Bonnie Prigge for writing the grant for the district.
“We appreciate the help that we had with the grant. We appreciate Bonnie’s assistance and organizations like MRPC for seeking out those opportunities for school districts,” Templeton said.
The Maries County R-2 School District is located in the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, which includes the counties of Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington and their respective cities with populations of 500 or more. The district's strategy for solid waste reduction, which has been individually adopted by all member governments and approved by MDNR, involves intense education and increased recycling efforts in member counties and cities.
Those needing more information can contact Tammy Snodgrass, MRPC assistant director and environmental programs manager, at 573-265-2993 or by email at tsnodgrass@meramecregion.org.
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