Slocum Township recreation committee members and township supervisors recently provided a tour of improvements to the township playground to state Sen. Lynda Schlegel Culver (R-27) and state Rep. Mike Cabell (R-117).
The renovations were funded by a $125,000 Local Share Account (LSA) grant awarded to the township by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
Elaine Webby, who spearheaded the project along with recreation committee member Cassie Matyas, said the grant money was used to replace equipment that was nearly 40 years old. The playground is divided into two sections, one for children up to age two and the second for children ages 2-12.
The fenced-in area for the younger children includes a baby-mother swing, an ADA-accessible swing, a children’s swing, chipmunk and boat spring riders, a slide and a tic-tac-toe activity. The tic-tac-toe activity actually incorporated poles from the original playground which Webby sanded and painted to save money.
The play area for older children includes a monorail slide, an air skier, a Spinami, activity panels, slide, climbing wall and swings. The poles that support the activity panels also were part of the original equipment and were refurbished by Webby.
“We wanted to make sure the activities would include all children.” Webby said.
She said the committee searched extensively for the best prices for the equipment in order to make the most of the grant money.
“We also wanted to include some different equipment,” she added.
Webby said the township has $111,650 remaining from another LSA grant, which it plans to use for renovations to its basketball and tennis courts as well as an ADA-accesible walkway. The township has applied for additional Luzerne County and statewide LSA grant funds to complete work on the tennis and basketball courts and hopefully purchase additional equipment. She said they hope to include an area for pickleball in the tennis court renovations.
Webby expressed the recreation committee’s thanks to township supervisors for their support of the playground project as well as Senator Culver and Rep. Cabell for their assistance. Besides Webby and Matyas, other committee members who participated in the project were Wilma Baratta, Sue Spaide, Judy Woodring and Melissa Compton Delorenzo.
After touring the playground, Culver and Cabell, along with township officials, inspected the site where the new township volunteer fire company is being built.
