The Cayuga-Onondaga Board of Cooperative Educational Services will see a new - and fun - addition to its campus next month.

BOCES is in the early stages of purchasing a playground set to give special education students in its day treatment program as well as students in the comprehensive summer school program a fun and hands-on way to be physically active and interact with each other.

“Obviously, many of the children in younger grades, elementary and middle school students, have access to playgrounds. But we don't,” District Superintendent Bill Speck said.

While a playground does currently exist at the BOCES Regional Education Center on West Genesee Street Road in Aurelius, its use is restricted to children enrolled in the day care program.

And even if that playground could be used for day treatment students, the set the district is in the process of purchasing is different than most.

Using a set designed by Parkitects, the playground will feature traditional equipment such as monkey bars and swings but will be handicapped accessible in areas not usually seen, Speck said.

The set will be installed at the Regional Education Center during the weekend of June 19 to 21 with volunteers helping with the assembly.

Speck said playground equipment is especially beneficial for day treatment special education students, who spend the entire school day in the building, as it assists with physical exercise and therapeutic activity.

“It will provide skill building in the areas of health and physical education and other social curricular areas,” he said.

The cost is estimated to be between $50,000 and $60,000, Speck said. BOCES is in the process of applying for a grant through Lowe's home improvement store to offset the cost.

Though the playground has been on a wish list for some time, Speck said BOCES could act on that now as “an opportunity presented itself to us.”

That “opportunity” is some extra money the district conserved this year in the wake of potential state education cuts.

“In the fall, with cuts proposed to be coming to schools, we went on a very aggressive belt-tightening campaign to save every dollar,” he said.

“Because of that, we were able to have enough money at this time to move forward with the project.”