By Staff Reports

Published: June 3, 2009

A fire heavily damaged the equipment at a playground in Richmond's Church Hill neighborhood this morning, and authorities are investigating the possibility that it was the work of an arsonist.

Authorities said the fire was reported shortly after 3 a.m. at George Mason Elementary School at 813 N. 28th St.

According to officials, the mulch at the playground appeared to have been set on fire.

By the time firefighters arrived, the plastic playground equipment had been essentially destroyed by the flames.

No injuries were reported.

By Zachary Reid

Published: June 4, 2009

Field day will go on, but the summer won't be the same at George Mason Elementary School in Richmond after an early-morning fire destroyed the playground.

The fire, called in at about 3:30 a.m. yesterday, engulfed most of the metal structure, burning away the blue-and-red plastic coating and melting the sliding boards into pools of yellow, mulch-infused muck. The one-alarm fire was quickly extinguished, but the $70,000 playground is a complete loss.

"It was a pretty nasty thing to do," said Capt. William Martin of the Richmond Police Department.

The fire remains under investigation, but early signs point to arson, he said. "We're not seeing any accidental causes," he said.

A little after 9 a.m., Principal Sandra Bynum joined a small crowd of school officials looking over the damage and securing the gate into the playground.

With the school year winding down, she said students were pushing through the last round of SOL testing -- third-, fourthand fifth-graders were taking the tests as she spoke -- with an eye on Tuesday's annual field day. This year, she said, the community helped put together "an extreme field day," with inflatable rides and games and other goodies planned. It will go on, but the custom playground won't be part of it.

"The whole community is going to suffer because of this," she said. "It's devastating. The kids are upset, and a lot of the teachers are upset."

She spent the first hour of the school day going from class to class, offering grief counseling to students.

"This upsets them," said Felicia Cosby, the school system spokeswoman. "This is their home."

Their home isn't likely to be replaced soon. The school system's insurance policy has a $100,000 deductible.

And with next year's budget already tight because of decreased funding, there doesn't appear to be money for unplanned playground equipment, Cosby said.

Martin said it appeared someone set a fire or fires on the structure and that it smoldered for a while before spreading. He said there was a report of someone in the area near the time of the fire, but the description of the person didn't offer much to go on.

Playground or not, Mason will remain open throughout the summer. It will be the site for summer school for its students, plus those from nearby Bellevue and Chimborazo elementary schools.

By Zachary Reid

Published: June 4, 2009

With ideas big and small, community supporters began lining up today to find the money to rebuild the playground at George Mason Elementary School in Richmond.

The $70,000 piece of equipment was damaged in a fire early yesterday morning, and Richmond fire officials investigating the case suspect the blaze was set intentionally.

"It's just senseless," said David Ballard, the one-time School Board chairman who now leads the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation.

He said the foundation set aside $2,000 to establish a fund to replace the equipment and is soliciting money from other sources.

"It's really a placeholder, something to set up a budget line," he said. He said he thinks foundation directors and supporters will "dip into their own pockets" to increase the pot.

"This is exactly what part of our mission is," he said.

On a smaller scale, community activist Ron Melancon is pushing for schoolchildren in the city and in surrounding counties to collect pocket change. He said he's looking for corporate donors to match whatever the children can collect.

"It shouldn't have to take a year to rebuild this," he said. "Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get it done in five days?"

He said his idea was inspired by a collection at his son's Henrico County elementary school last winter, when students brought in as much as 99 cents a day for five days, then pooled their money to buy blankets for people who needed them.

"There's no physical reason why this can't happen," he said. "Why can't we, on Monday morning, say, 'We have five days to do this?'"

Richmond schools spokeswoman Felicia Cosby said she had seen Melancon's proposal but hadn't yet discussed it with administrators. For now, she said, the focus is on getting as much community support as possible for the Church Hill school's field day Tuesday.

Cosby said the goal is to have the charred playground removed by field day, but she wasn't sure whether it could be done that fast.

Even with money in hand, it could take months to replace the equipment, said the school system's plant services manager. Playgrounds of that sort typically are purchased as a package that comes installed, and the summer is the busiest time of the year for installation.

By Zachary Reid

Published: June 6, 2009

Thanks to a local philanthropist, George Mason Elementary School is getting a new playground.

Two days after the school's showplace piece of recreational equipment was destroyed by fire, longtime Richmond resident W.E. Singleton said he would cover the entire cost of replacing it. The project will cost about $70,000, school officials said.

"I'm doing it in memory of my mother," Singleton said yesterday.

His mother, Ellen Passmore Singleton, was known as "Mrs. Recreation" during a career with Richmond's parks and recreation department that stretched from 1937 to 1966.

"My wife and I give from time to time," said Singleton, a retired real estate investor who is the namesake of the performing-arts center at Virginia Commonwealth University and a major benefactor of the school's jazz program. "You gotta give back."

Singleton attended Robert E. Lee Elementary, Albert Hill Middle and Thomas Jefferson High schools in the city.

His donation will be administered by the Richmond Public Schools Education Foundation.

David Ballard, the former School Board chairman who heads the foundation, said he got the call about 8:45 a.m. yesterday.

"It was a good start to the day," Ballard said. "It gives you hope. It just shows good people are out there. Right now, the school system needs it. Next time, it could be somebody else."

The plastic-coated, metal-based playground was destroyed in a fire officials believe was intentionally set. The fire, reported at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday, is under investigation.

The school system's insurance policy for buildings and grounds has a $100,000 deductible, so the equipment wasn't covered.

Even with money in hand, it could take months to get a new playground in place since the manufacturer has already scheduled its summer installations. School officials hope they can have the project done by the time the next school year begins.