Harrisburg Mayor Wanda Williams, along with students of the Nativity School, cut the ribbon on Gorgas Park.
Local students enjoyed a picnic lunch and played at the newly renovated Gorgas Park in Uptown Harrisburg on Tuesday.
At the same time, Mayor Wanda Williams and city officials ceremonially cut the ribbon on the park, one of several parks in a multimillion-dollar project to upgrade outdoor play spaces for local youth.
“Today is an exciting day for the city of Harrisburg because we are not simply reopening a park, we are reopening a gathering place for families, for children and especially for this Uptown neighborhood,” Williams said.
Gorgas Park is now open to the public and boasts new playground equipment, a large pavilion with picnic tables, grills and fitness equipment. The adjacent 7th & Radnor Sports Field across the street is nearing completion and includes a new sports field, basketball courts, a picnic area, bathrooms, a concession stand and more. The field portion will be open in the coming weeks once the grass has grown more, explained Parks and Recreation Manager Kevin Sanders.
These two parks, along with Wilson park, located off Rumson Drive, and Reservoir Park in Allison Hill, were part of a $13 million grant-funded initiative. Renovations across parks included updated equipment, lighting, restrooms, walkways and more.
In October 2022, the city was awarded a $13 million reimbursement grant for COVID relief by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for improvements at the parks. Harrisburg began construction on Gorgas, 7th & Radnor and Wilson parks about a year ago and on Reservoir late last year. Since the grant was awarded, Harrisburg has requested and received four extensions for the grant, which expired at the beginning of March. According to the state, Harrisburg could submit invoices for reimbursement until the end of April.
Out of the $13 million, the city was reimbursed for nearly $10.2 million, according to DCED’s press secretary. Because they did not submit additional invoices in time, the city will not get the remaining about $2.8 million of the grant.
Sanders and Deputy Director of Parks and Rec Sasha Ross said that the harsh winter weather, unforeseen construction snafus and complicated planning process contributed to the delay, but mainly attributed delays to the large scope of the project and “aggressive” project timeline.
The project budget has also exceeded the initial $13 million budget, Sanders said.
While three of the parks are open or close to being open, Reservoir has proven challenging, Sanders and Ross said. The project includes creating a splash pad/spray park with water features and renovating the pavilion and bathrooms. Ross said the splash pad construction has been challenging and crews have faced unforeseen structural issues with the pavilion construction that has put the project on hold at Reservoir. With that in mind, Ross did not offer an estimated completion date.
Work that has been completed already has been paid for by the $10.2 million in received grant money. Anything spent over that amount will need to come from another source.
Gorgas Park
According to city Business Administrator Antonio Megna, the city is still considering options to cover the extra costs. The city may apply for additional grants, or may need to use city funds, he said, noting that the parks were a “priority.”
Despite the challenges and financial decisions that will need to be made, city officials were excited for what had been accomplished this far.
“It feels so good. I’m so excited to see all the kids here,” Ross said.
The parks included in the renovations were identified by the parks and rec team as the highest need, and planning was informed by community surveys.
Ross highlighted the city’s free summer camp programming that will take place across several Harrisburg parks in the coming weeks. Both Gorgas and Wilson parks will serve as summer camp locations. She is expecting even more youth to attend this year, she said.
Williams highlighted the dual role of city parks as offering a “safer place for the city kids to play and have fun.”
“I know what it means for children to have a safe place to run, to laugh, play ball, ride bikes and simply, just be kids,” she said.
For more information, visit Harrisburg’s Parks and Recreation Department’s website.
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