Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo of the day.

New adaptive playground has ‘something for everybody’

Cutting the ribbon to celebrate the official opening of the new adaptive playground at Marathon Elementary School on Sunday are (from left) Avery Schacht, Sriram Kondaveti, School Committee chair Kyla McSweeney, Leo Shacht and Community Preservation Committee chair Ken Weismantel. PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD

Town officials gathered at Marathon Elementary School on Sunday to cut the ribbon and declare the the town’s new adaptive playground officially open.

The ceremony marked the end of a multi-year effort to build the playground amidst concerns over its funding and placement. Hopkinton Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) chair Megan O’Baoill told the Independent that community support for the inclusive play space had been strong.

“Seeing how everyone and the town rallied to get it into place is just something very special,” said O’Baoill.

O’Baoill was an early member of the town’s Adaptive Playground Committee, which surveyed 198 town-owned parcels before choosing Marathon. The final location became a concern for the Community Preservation Committee. Because of school safety restrictions limiting who would have access to the playground, the CPC opted to fund only a portion of the $1.2 million project, chair Ken Weismantel explained during Sunday’s ceremony.

The CPC ended up contributing $300,000 to the project. The remaining $943,000 was allocated from available free cash following a vote at Annual Town Meeting in 2025.

O’Baoill stood by the decision to place the playground at Marathon, noting most of the children who need to access the space are at school during the day. The playground will be a space where families can congregate on weekends, and it can be used as part of therapies students engage in at Marathon, she added.

According to O’Baoill, the final playground design is free of stairs on all play equipment. Swing sets are wheelchair accessible, and plenty of shaded space and seating is available. The design incorporates different textures, along with communication boards nonverbal children can use to communicate with friends and family members, O’Baoill stated.

“I think there’s something for everybody,” she remarked. “We wanted it to be a place where everyone could go and be connected.”

O’Baoill also expressed a hope that there would be more accessible play features in other areas of town in the future. “Something at EMC [Park] would be wonderful,” she said.

During Sunday’s ceremony, both Weismantel and School Committee chair Kyla McSweeney thanked the people involved in the project and supported the belief that the playground would be a positive space for the community.

“It is my hope that this adaptive playground will … provide opportunities to develop friendships, improve physical condition, provide creative experiences, provide a healthy outdoor space and be a fun place for all the youth of Hopkinton,” said Weismantel.

— NICK SCHOFIELD

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Town meetings tonight include the Conservation Commission (7).

Photo of the Day

Jennie Renshaw throws a carved pumpkin into the bed of a Black Earth Compost truck in the parking lot of Hopkinton High School during the Sustainable Green Committee’s inaugural Pumpkin Compost Smash on Sunday.

PHOTO/JOHN CARDILLO