FARMINGTON -- Teams of volunteers on Saturday gather to assemble a new, brightly colored playground structure at Hippach Field. The equipment was paid for by the community through an outpouring of money, time and labor.

Work crews will be on four-hour shifts with the first team arriving at 7 a.m. Spokeswoman for Parents for the Playground, Amy Graham, said the structure should be ready for kids by 5 p.m.

"We have been signing up volunteers and anyone who wants to help is welcome. We are especially looking for people with building experience and who know how to put things together," she said.

A project manager from Landscape Structures will oversee the installation and direct volunteers as they assemble the plastic and metal units to form slides, climbing areas, swings and tunnels.

Tools needed are drills, levels, ratchets, hammers and Allen wrenches, and volunteers are advised to bring sunscreen and work gloves.

Parking will be tight since graduation at the nearby University of Maine at Farmington is also Saturday morning. Notify MD on Front Street, however, has offered the use of its parking lot to volunteers, Graham said.

There will also be volunteers at the food table, and homemade donations are welcome, she said. Free T-shirts that have a drawing of the playground on the front by parent/artist Juliette Karlson and a list of donors on the back will be given out to workers.

There was also enough money to buy four benches that will be set around the structure, located behind the tennis courts, Graham said. The project is being coordinated by the town of Farmington and the Farmington Recreation Department.

Parents raised $45,000 in less than a year for the project, with about $39,000 of that in cash and $6,000 in-kind donations of labor, materials and equipment. For more information, call 778-9898.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com