NEWS INFORMATION FROM

THE OFFICE OF MAYOR STEPHEN R. REED
City of Harrisburg
King City Government Center
Harrisburg, PA 17101-1678
Telephone: 255.3040

FOR IMMEDIATE USE
16 April 2003

ALLISON HILL PLAYGROUND SET FOR MAJOR UPGRADE

Harrisburg, PA—Mayor Stephen R. Reed today announced that the Vernon Street Playground, at S. 15th and Vernon Streets in the city’s Allison Hill, will soon undergo a major renovation and upgrade.

Reed said the Vernon Street Playground project will cost $161,375.80, and involves the removal of all worn-out play apparatus, and installation of new equipment, including Power Space and Prime Time play systems, swingsets, spring toys, climbers and a youth soccer practice field, complete with goals and fencing. New sidewalks, park benches, walkways, landscaping and ground cover are also slated for installation as part of the project.

The Mayor noted that this is the second such rehabilitation of the playground during the current era, with all of the city’s playgrounds having already undergone refurbishment at some point during the past 15 years. Heavy usage of the city’s parks facilities is now engendering another round of refurbishment and upgrades, with the facility announced today the first of many more to come.

Reed said work will commence at the site in the next several weeks with a completion date of May 31, in time for the city’s highly successful summer recreation program to begin in Mid-June. When finished, the work will represent major recreational improvement in one of the city’s most-heavily populated neighborhoods.

The Mayor said the General Contractor for the work is Lobar Associates, who provided the lowest bid in a recent competitive bidding process. Biting Recreation is supplying the heavy-duty Gametime Inc. play equipment, with design work provided by H. Edward Black and Associates. Tina Manoogian-King, Director of the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation, will serve as project manager. Funding for the Vernon St. Playground project is being provided by the city, the Harrisburg Parks Partnership and a federal UPARR grant.

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