SHELBURNE FALLS — Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School students will have a new playground just in time for the new school year.

Demolition of the existing playground, which is more than 30 years old, began on Monday. As long as the weather cooperates, installation of new equipment will occur Aug. 14 to Aug. 17 during a supervised community build. Volunteers are welcome.

“We are super pumped. The kids are really excited, and I am feeling very thankful to the parents who made this happen,” Principal Hayley Gilmore said. “We desperately need it. The playground is falling apart and ancient, so I just feel really excited, grateful and thankful for the community who is supporting this project in a way I could never have dreamed.”

Gilmore said fundraising and planning efforts have been spearheaded by the school’s Parent-Teacher Organization, and particularly parents Kate Conlin and Flannery Murphy Geier, who organized fundraisers, wrote letters to state legislators and advocated for a new playground.

The new playground will be compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. It will feature wheelchair-accessible play structures, adaptive swing sets and accessible rubber surfacing. It will also include slides, seesaws, climbable features and ground-level play areas. The equipment has been ordered from Newton-based playground supplier Premier Park & Play and should arrive in time for the August installation.

Conlin said the first phase of the replacement will address the playground that serves preschoolers, kindergartners, first graders and special education students. The PTO will continue to raise money for future upgrades to the playground equipment for the older children, with installation of those features ideally occurring next summer.

The playground replacement is being supported by $44,000 in donations from local businesses and residents, $100,000 in Community Preservation Act funds and a $75,000 earmark included in the state budget.

“We are incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support from our neighbors, local businesses and elected officials,” Murphy Geier said.

“This project is about more than just equipment — it’s about building a space where all children can play safely, together,” Conlin added.

In addition to funding, Conlin noted that several local businesses and organizations are supplying materials and labor. Aubuchon Hardware is donating concrete; AGH Disposal & Recycling has donated a dumpster for the removal of the old playground; members of Carpenters Local 336 and Daniels Land Management will assist with installation and landscaping of the new playground; and Great River Hydro donated $10,000 and sent over a crew to begin site work and demolition. Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School parent Mike Michonski is donating his time and expertise for site preparation.

Brandon Kibbe, vice president of external affairs, said Great River Hydro owns a few hydroelectric facilities, including one in Shelburne Falls, and “supporting the communities where we work and live is important” to the company.

“Safety is a core value and focus of our company,” said Erin O’Dea, president and CEO of Great River Hydro. “Improving the safety for the children using the playground was a clear fit with our mission. And I am really proud of our local Shelburne Falls maintenance crew for stepping up to help with the project. It speaks volumes for how committed they are to making the community stronger.”

“Some of our members remember playing on the existing equipment when they were children and would love to be a part of this project,” Jacquelyn McGurn, business representative with Carpenters Local 336, said in a statement.

Conlin said anyone who is interested in volunteering during the supervised community build can contact her via the website at bucklandshelburnepto.org.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.