Harrisburg makes progress on two parks, one ready in time for summer

Rendering of 4th and Dauphin Park

If the warmer weather doesn’t have you ready for some outdoor fun, park improvements coming to Harrisburg might.

On Friday’s Community Conversations, Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s weekly Facebook Live event, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation provided updates on the park construction at 4^th and Dauphin streets and the Chutes and Ladders playground planned for Reservoir Park.

The 4^th and Dauphin park project began in the fall of 2020 as the final part of a years-long parks collaboration between Harrisburg and Capital Region Water (CRW), Impact Harrisburg and the commonwealth.

Parks and Recreation Manager Kevin Sanders said that the project is about halfway done and that residents can expect to see it completed around May.

The renovated park will include a new playground, basketball court, parking lot and landscaping.

Sanders is especially excited about the court.

“It’ll be a real state-of-the-art basketball park,” he said. “I think people will be really proud and really impressed.”

CRW also hopes to use this project to reduce the flow of polluted water and wastewater into Paxton Creek and the Susquehanna River.

Stormwater management improvements include rain gardens, restored vegetation, drainage structures, catch basins and storm sewer pipes, according to CRW.

The parks department also updated the public on another project that has been in the works for some time—the Chutes and Ladders playground.

The $1 million project is part of the city’s 2017 Reservoir Park Master Plan that aims to increase foot traffic in the sprawling park in Allison Hill.

The plan for the playground is modeled after the Chutes and Ladders board game and will allow visitors to engage in a life-sized version.

“It’s a really interesting kind of playground, said Deborah Reihart, parks and recreation project manager. “It’s one of probably a few where you can go and play a game while you’re climbing on the equipment.”

She estimated that they will finish the project late in the fall of 2021 or spring of 2022.

They are currently conducting a survey to get feedback from families on what they hope to see at the park.

“We are trying to get information so the playground best meets the needs of the community,” Reihart said.

To take the Chutes and Ladders Playground Design survey, visit the city’s website.

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