Donations sought for play train in Sutersville park expansion

Sutersville Borough and the Westmoreland County Land Bank are seeking donations to help fund an addition to the town’s community park on First Avenue.

With money from Westmoreland County and The Community Foundation’s “Youth Voice in Philanthropy Program Fund,” the land bank has demolished an abandoned house next to the park to make room for the expansion.

Two other blighted structures on the street were also razed to help provide a more welcoming gateway to the park.

A centerpiece of the park extension will be a play train designed for young children. The land bank has earmarked $5,000 each for that piece of the train and for acquisition of the property.

It has a goal of raising about $200,000 to cover additional sections of the train and fencing at the park.

Planners hope to complete the park project this fall and are looking for donations from local businesses and citizens to help purchase three additional train “cars” with various features, each costing up to $3,000 or more. Depending on the design, the cars can serve as a sheltered sandbox or a tunnel for crawling kids to explore.

For information on donating to the project, visit the land bank’s Facebook page, email smichale@co.westmoreland.pa.us or call 724-830-3085. Donors who fund the purchase of an entire piece of the train will be recognized with a plaque on the section they’ve sponsored.

Volunteers are needed to help clean the existing recreational area and to help install the new equipment.

The borough’s partnership with the land bank will “revitalize a lot that was in much need of attention,” Sutersville Mayor Alaina Breakiron said in a press release. “We are excited to bring the community together to add a new train play set feature that captures our town’s heritage while bringing fun to the park.”

Partnering with local government officials and community stakeholders, the land bank works to deter the spread of blight, promote reuse of abandoned, tax-delinquent properties, help stabilize neighborhoods and stimulate residential, commercial and industrial development.

“It is always rewarding when we get to work with the communities to create healthier towns by removing blight and creating new recreational space for residents to gather and enjoy,” land bank Executive Director April Kopas said.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jeff at 724-836-6622, jhimler@tribweb.com or via Twitter @jhimler_news.