By Doug Petrowski

Construction of a 46-foot-by-100-foot playground shed at Terrace Park School is set to begin this summer following a successful fundraising drive, Edmonds School Districts official announced this week. The structure is expected to be completed and ready for use by the start of the 2013-2014 school year.

The school district will begin accepting construction bids on the project, estimated to be around $325,000, in early May. The shed will enable the 650 students at the school to be outside for recess in any kind of weather, in addition to providing more space for physical education classes, said Principal Mary Freitas.

The Terrace Park PTA raised more than $61,000 for the project through various fundraisers and donation drives. “We sold cookie dough, held a coin drive, sold engraved tiles, had a raffle night, sold chuck-a-puck and programs for the Everett Silvertips, held an online donation drive; the list goes on and on,” said PTA Play Shed Committee Chair Kim Baca.

The school also received grants from the Everett Clinic Foundation and the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, in addition to donations from Chermak Construction, the Everett Aquasox, Harris Ford, HomeStreet Bank, Lynnwood Kids’ Dentist and Smart Service, Baca said.

Much of the project’s funding is coming from the Edmond School District Capital Fund, but the structure would not have received the go-ahead without the school’s PTA raising about 20 percent of the necessary funds. “Less than a year ago that seemed like an almost insurmountable goal,” Baca admitted. “But thanks to the generosity of our community and the dedication of the families at Terrace Park, we have secured all the funds necessary to build the play shed.”