Irwin Park getting new playground
Irwin Park is getting a modern playground with two areas for children to replace a 25-year-old, outdated wooden playground that had been closed off for a few years.
“It’s going to be, in my opinion, the premier playground structure in the area,” said Irwin Councilman Mike Yunn, who has overseen the project as chairman of the borough’s parks and recreation committee. “It was time for a new playground,” Yunn said of the Little Knights Kingdom. There has not been any “definitive plans or decisions made” about the Little Knights Kingdom, Yunn stated.
The $120,000 playground from GameTime of Fort Payne, Ala., is being built in a 6,300-square-foot section of the park off Pennsylvania Avenue. It will have a playground for kids age 2 to 5 and another section for children up to age 12.
The toddlers’ playground will have a mini rock wall and stations that give the illusion of being in a forest, Yunn said. The section for the older children will have a climbing net attached to more than a dozen poles that have been cemented into the ground. Multiple slides will be installed.
A swing set that had been at the site is being retained and will be painted to match the other amenities, Yunn said.
Site preparation and work has been ongoing over the past week, when it is not raining. A pump was being used Friday to drain the playground of water from Thursday’s storm. Some of the playground equipment was stored in a pavilion and still needs to be installed when the weather permits. Yunn said that the drainage pipes must be put in place before it is completed.
A mat of engineered wood fiber will be laid as the base for the playground. That product is more economical than other coverings and easier to maintain, Yunn said.
“I’d be very happy if it is done by mid-month,” Yunn said.
The borough received a matching grant of $60,000 from GameTime for the project. The borough used money from its Allhouse Fund for recreational purposes to cover the required match, Yunn said.
The borough is planning to hold an outdoor movie night Oct. 26 with a child-friendly Halloween-themed movie. The ceremonies to dedicate the new playground will be held Oct. 27, Yunn said.
The new playground is part of the park beautification plan that has been in the works for more than a year, Yunn said. Irwin has applied for a grant to improve the walking track around the park and ballfields. It also is seeking money for a parking area that is used by both park users and commuters who catch a morning bus to Pittsburgh.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252 or
jnapsha@tribweb.com.
