LSU Community Playground Project Completes 50th Build

“Kids are experts at play, and the community is the expert on community. We’re the facilitators. When I first started, I was just looking for a good design project for students. As I continued, I realized the importance of centering the community in design, and I learned that lack of access to play is an international issue.”

Marybeth Lima, Chair, LSU Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department

Over two hot, humid days in Napoleonville, La., LSU Biological Engineering (BE) students and graduates, LSU Biological & Agricultural Engineering Department Chair Marybeth Lima, and Assumption Parish community members worked steadily during the breaks in the rain to construct a new playground at Marais Park. Though the process looks similar to other playgrounds Lima and her students have helped build over the years, this one is special. This is the 50^th playground they have constructed as part of the LSU Community Playground Project (LSUCPP), an engineering community engagement program started by Lima in 1998.

For the past 27 years, Lima has made it her professional and personal mission to provide LSU BE students with the opportunity to work with communities to co-design and build at least one playground a year in South Louisiana, a benefit to both her students and children in various communities.

“I became a professor to teach engineering, but to also practice engineering in ways that benefit community,” Lima said. “Kids are experts at play, and the community is the expert on community. We’re the facilitators. When I first started, I was just looking for a good design project for students. As I continued, I realized the importance of centering the community in design, and I learned that lack of access to play is an international issue.”

Building these LSUCPP playgrounds has been no small feat considering the funding and collaborations that go into making each playground a success.

For the Marais Park playground, Lima’s team was invited to work with the LSU AgCenter who has a Healthy Communities initiative whose mission is to make Louisiana towns healthier places to live, work, learn and play through the leadership and action of local residents. The idea for an updated playground at Marais Park had been championed for many years by local residents and, most recently, by a group of teens in the Labadieville Beta Club.

Maria Gonzales, who is the Nutrition and Community Health agent serving Assumption Parish through the LSU AgCenter, hosted a monthly Assumption Healthy Communities Coalition meeting where Humana offered to provide funding for the playground equipment, which includes a seesaw and rockers for little kids, a big playhouse with slides and climbers, and activity panels. The Assumption Parish Police Jury and Assumption Foundation for the Arts also helped with funding and volunteers.

“This is our sixth playground with Health Communities, and the second collaboration with them in Assumption Parish,” Lima said. “We also built a playground in 2024 that is behind the Belle Rose branch of the Assumption Parish public library.” 

Finding volunteers for the Marais Park playground was not an issue because locals were excited to see this playground come to fruition.

“I grew up here and try to give something back to the community,” Assumption Parish resident Germaine Blaine said. “We need to give a helping hand. We just want to make an impact in our rural community.”

Melissa Wheatley, who lived in Napoleonville for 30 years before recently moving away, returned with her husband Jamal Wheatley to celebrate the new park and donate basketball goals and basketballs.

“I may not be here living in the community anymore, but in my heart, I carry it,” she said.

Chelsie Rodrigue, who has lived in Assumption Parish her whole life, said the Marais Park playground is the nearest playground within 30 miles, which will make it convenient for nearby schools.

“I’m a former teacher, so having this playground be walking distance from the schools is crucial,” she said. “There are people working on this playground who played on it when they were little. It’s like a full circle moment. This is more than a playground. We’re bringing our community back together.”

The LSU BE students helping with the playground also agree that this project has made them realize the importance of community.

“It’s been really cool to see the whole community rally around a joint effort, and obviously throughout the whole design process, you’re really working with them and working towards this common goal,” LSU BE junior Grant Harris of Lafayette said.

This is Grant’s first playground build, which he was excited to participate in after taking Lima’s Intro to Design course. LSU BE senior Gabriella La Perna of Houston and sophomore Lucy Parker of Baton Rouge also took the Intro to Design class and helped facilitate the new playground in Napoleonville. While La Perna has been an LSUCPP member for three years, Parker just joined the team this summer.

“Once we’re here actually building a playground, we get to see the community that’s involved, and you get to see the children’s excitement,” Parker said. “It really fills me with joy to be able to do this for them.”

LSUCPP even has former LSU students returning to help build playgrounds. Joe Zerkus, who graduated in BE in 2016, flew down from his home in Atlanta to help with the 50^th playground. Cole Diez, an LSU Construction Management graduate of 2012 who lives in Gramercy and is a project manager with Lemoine, wanted to come help again.

“I had a bonus opportunity in one of my CM classes, which is how I ended up helping with my first playground build, where I also met my best college friend,” Diez said. “I kept up with it, and now I’m on my 13^th playground. It’s similar to my industry because we’re building something.”

Shane Vallery, a 2021 LSU BE graduate, drove to Marais Park after working four night shifts at Westlake chemical plant in Geismar.

“As long as Dr. Lima keeps emailing me, I’m coming out, no questions asked,” Vallery said. “A lot of people do the playground build because they need it for a class or extra credit, or they just like doing it. But a lot of people keep coming back because of Dr. Lima. That’s just the kind of person she is. We see her passion and how she feels about it, and we just can’t help but want to participate.”

Diez echoes that sentiment.

“What has kept me coming back to help is Dr. Lima’s positivity,” he said. “Her positive leadership is inspirational. I had to make it out here for the 50^th, and I hope she keeps on doing it.”

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