Pleasant Dale installs new playground equipment

Pleasant Dale has a new place for kids to play.

Volunteers installed new Miracle Rec playground equipment at the village park on April 27, with help from Crouch Recreation of Omaha, a company owned by former Husker football quarterback Eric Crouch.

Janice Trease, a member of the village’s planning and zoning board and the tree board, said the playground that was already in the park was suitable for older kids. It was funded by grants and matching funds from the village more than a decade ago.

In 2017, the jungle gym meant for younger children and a swing set were torn down to make room for a basketball and tennis court that was donated to the village.

Trease said the new equipment, meant for younger kids, was funded by the Village of Pleasant Dale, grants from Bryan Hospital and Norris Public Power District and private donations.

“We’ve applied for and received Thrivent Financial seed money from their Action team division,” Trease said.

The Thrivent money was used for lunch for the volunteers, made by Borgman’s Bar and Grill and served by the Pleasant Dale American Legion Auxiliary that day.

Ladies’ groups from the United Methodist and Bethlehem Lutheran churches contributed snacks and desserts, too.

Members of the Pleasant Dale Volunteer Fire Department helped with the installation, including Leslie Thomas, a member of the fire department and chair of the village board.

Thomas said the new playground equipment has been in the works for about a year.

“We approved it and purchased it last year, and the weather prohibited us from putting it in,” she said.

Though the weather that day was cold and drizzly, the equipment went up—swings, a baby swing, slides and stuff to climb on.

Thomas said the equipment cost $12,000, not including the cost for concrete, gravel and dirt work.

“Volunteers have offered the use of their equipment as well as their labor,” Trease said.

Martin Excavating of Milford was hired to move dirt and level the area. Trease said the dirt would be moved to the west end of the ball diamond parking lot to level the area for a new recycling center.

“It takes a village,” Trease said. “We’re definitely using our village and resources to invest in our future.”