Future of ECC playground uncertain as school lists property for sale

While the future of the former Early Childhood Center playground is under question, the Creston Community School District approved a public notice that the property, in pieces or as a whole property, is now for sale.

The notice expands the range of the property available for purchase, with Superintendent Deron Stender saying “any and all pieces of this property” can be purchased. This excludes the portion of the building which houses Green Hills AEA.

Stender noted a few areas which could be purchased as separate pieces: the entire building, specific north or east wings, the lawn and track area, bus barn or the playground are all available for bid. This was considered to be a better alternative to a wholesale bid.

“It would be nice to sell the whole, entire property in one bid process — let someone take ownership of that — but I have a feeling we’re going to have a couple interested parties," Stender said.

Following noted attention to preserving the ECC’s playground by local community members, Stender also clarified the district’s intentions for the playground, saying selling the property is a matter of avoiding liability for what occurs on the playground after it’s no longer under the purview of the district.

“Our intention has never been to demo something we put in,” Stender said. “It’s a conversation we’ve had as a board [looking at our options]. When I mentioned we could demo it, it would be because we hold liability to that property whether we’re here or not.

“We’ve been having lots of issues with vandalism in this vacated space already, up on that playground. [ECC Principal Callie] Anderson typically deals with phone calls probably on a weekly basis — saying ‘hey, my kid got beat up on the playground’ or somebody did this or my window’s broken. That’s where that concept came into play; are we going to be dealing with that liability when we’re no longer here when we can sell off the property."

The district has seen offers for just the equipment from areas as far as Missouri, but Stender said it would be difficult to accomplish selling just the equipment. Part of the reason the playground was never moved to the new ECC location was due to how the equipment was constructed.

The ECC playground was built into the concrete foundation, meaning any removal of equipment would need to break the concrete base which is about 4-feet deep. This has a chance of damaging the equipment, which was constructed to stay in place for a long time.

Additionally, the rubber surface of the playground would be fundamentally destroyed in order to remove the equipment. Unless a site is prepared to accept the equipment, the playground would need to stay in place.

Stender understands how important the playground still is for the neighboring community and is supportive of efforts for ways to maintain the playground. The district has been in communication with the city administrator.

“We’re fully interested in trying to retain that space in its condition,” Stender said. “I have been having conversations with Mike Taylor and trying to figure out a way to do this so that [Creston] takes ownership of [the playground]. They’ve got some concerns because if we transfer it, the warranty goes off.

“Technically, the warranty goes off in seven years which is about to end anyway, so there wouldn’t be a warranty that’s transferrable. They’re doing their due diligence. They’re asking for more information on the equipment, the surfacing. We’re getting that information to them so they can have that available to make that decision.”

Liability remains the largest problem facing any purchasing decisions from the city, community members or outside buyers alike. The district remains open to offers and is optimistic about retaining the playground as a community feature.

Bids for the property are due for Jan. 14, 2026. A hearing for the sale of the property is planned a month later for Feb. 15.