Latrobe-area recreation officials on Thursday said they are reviewing plans for rebuilding the arson-damaged playground at Legion Keener Park and working to raise an additional $65,000 to $75,000 from the public for the custom-built playground, which is scheduled to be rebuilt in April.

The Latrobe-Unity Parks & Recreation Commission is studying an initial design for the Playland, with an eye on making “final tweaks” to the plans drawn by John Dean, a co-founder of Play by Design Inc. of Ithaca, N.Y., said Brandon Simpson, program coordinator for the parks and recreation commission.

Once the design is finalized, the equipment for the community-built playground will be ordered and 84 Lumber Co. will be given a list of materials needed, Simpson told the parks and recreation commission at its meeting in Latrobe.

“We're moving along quite well,” said Jeanne Ashley, executive director of the commission.

Dean drafted a design for Playland after meeting with elementary school students in the Latrobe area and conducting a public meeting in Latrobe in October.

Based on that input, Dean said, in October the Playland will include a tot lot with a maze, swings, little tunnels and spring toys. Children ages 5 to 12 will be able to play in a castle and use a zip line. The rebuilt playground will meet requirements for accessibility by the handicapped, Dean said.

Some of the existing wooden structure will remain, while other sections will be replaced with composite material, Dean said.

The commission is relying on community volunteers to build the Playland the week of April 22. Ashley said she envisions a six-day building schedule. Simpson anticipates needing about 50 to 60 volunteers a day, working in shifts.

The original 20,000-square-foot Playland was built with volunteer labor in May 1992.

The commission still needs more money than the $50,000 it has received from individual donors, Simpson said.

“The big thing is to raise $65,000 to $75,000. We've got a lot of support from the local community,” said Simpson, who said he was confident they could raise a sufficient amount of money to reach the goal.

The commission has set a goal of raising $200,000 for the project. Simpson said he anticipates raising another $75,000 from nonprofits and possibly grants.

The commission has taken on the task of rebuilding Playland because a rear section of the playground was damaged in an arson in June. The playground reopened after a week, and no one has been arrested for that crime.

In other matters, the commission approved a $666,000 balanced budget for 2013, which is about the same as the 2012 spending plan.

Daniel Hennessy, who heads the commission's finance committee, said the budget has remained flat the last three years, even as the footprint of the parks and recreation commission has grown.

In addition to expansion, the existing parks are getting older, which will cost more to maintain.

The commission's revenue stream will be reduced in 2014 if the Unity supervisors do not reverse a decision made last summer to end its participation in the regional parks and recreation program. Unity has budgeted $165,000 this year for the commission, which is about 25 percent of the 2013 budget.

Joe Napsha is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 724-836-5252 or jnapsha@tribweb.com.

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