Community Building

What Is A Community Build?

Community builds are when a group of people from the same city, neighborhood, division or development, come together to install a playground or recreational equipment.

Benefits Of A Community Build

Having a community built playground gives the members a feeling of pride and ownership within their neighborhood. These volunteers help assist schools and communities to save on installation costs for new and better playgrounds. Overall community involvement can make it easier to raise funds for the installation project and to build support for new or renovated playgrounds.

American Playground Company Is Here To Help!

We strive to make a community build easy for all volunteers. We will work with your team of volunteers all throughout the process, from initial consultation, to community goals, to safe assembly and maintenance.

During a community build, we will send one crew member to assist at a small cost. This consultant will be experienced and certified in the safety, functionality and assembly of all parts being installed.

Before You Begin, It’s Important To Remember…

American Playground Company’s playground consultant will be there for guidance, support and to assist with any parts of the build in order to ensure that the playground is assembled safely and correctly within the agreed upon time frame. However, it is important to keep in mind:

  • Digging and building can be dangerous and may not be suited for all ages-especially in severe heat or cold weather.
  • Small children, seniors, and those with health ailments should take extra precaution when participating in a community build.
  • Playground parts may be heavy and need to be adequately secured.
  • All components must meet the standard of care safety compliance.
  • American Playground Company does NOT supply
    • Equipment
    • Concrete
    • Surfacing
  • All parts of the playground and structures are able to be assembled with hand tools.

Safety Is Our Priority

Having a safe build and structure is very important in all installations, but especially in a community build when the installers are not experienced and trained in a playground installation. American Playground Company has a crew of CPSI certified inspectors who will ensure any installation is safe and up to code. Standard playground installations require a safety audit and inspection in order to establish the playgrounds safety checklist. If you are planning a community build, be sure to talk with a consultant about audits and inspections.


FAQ

How much money can be saved with a community build playground?

Volunteer-lead community builds will cost less than a typical installation, and are now accepted by many equipment manufacturers.

How many volunteers are needed for a community build?

The number of volunteers will depend on the size, design, and scope of the playground. We will start by selecting your budget, and from there we can determine the size and design so you know ahead of time how many volunteers are needed. The more volunteers, the better!

What tools are needed for a community build?

For most builds, only hand tools are needed. Those tools can consist of impacts, wrenches, hand diggers, screwdrivers, hammers, shovels, and of course, your hands!

What happens if it rains on the day of the community build?

Typically, builds will happen despite weather changes. Precautions will be taken for extreme cases of lighting, wind, snow, and heat.


We’re Proud To Work With Your Community

Community builds can be used to install playgrounds for schools, parks and recreational facilities. American Playground Company takes pride in working with communities to assist in their volunteer builds.

To learn more about community builds..

American Playground Company’s playgrounds, site amenities, shelters and more can be found throughout the Midwest. Our service areas include Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Rochester, Minnesota; Kansas City and Wichita, Kansas; Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island Nebraska; Des Moines, Sioux City and Iowa City, Iowa.