7th & Radnor Park (pictured) is among several parks that will be improved with grant funding awarded to Harrisburg.
It’s looking greener on this side of the fence as Harrisburg has been awarded a large grant to upgrade several city parks.
According to the city, it received a $13 million grant on Tuesday from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for city park improvements.
“The pandemic highlighted not only how much our residents wanted to use our parks, but how much those parks desperately needed improvements,” said Mayor Wanda Williams, in a statement. “I want to thank Gov. Wolf and Secretary (Neil) Weaver for showing the people of Harrisburg that they are prioritizing our great city.”
The funds come from the state’s Community Development Block Grant-CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funding, money the state received from the federal government to address COVID. Harrisburg applied for this round of funds, requesting $18 million, in late July.
A total of $45 million was awarded to 15 entities, with Harrisburg receiving the largest amount of money.
With the funds, the city plans to upgrade 7th & Radnor Park, Jackson Lick pool, Wilson (Rumson) Playground and Reservoir Park. According to the city, the parks were chosen based on their need for immediate repairs.
“These areas are in critical need of updates,” said Dave Baker, parks and recreation director. “Some of the playground and park equipment is dangerous and unusable. The pandemic showed us an unprecedented number of people are using our parks, so we need to meet their needs with the necessary updates.”
Improvements will include new playgrounds and park equipment at 7th & Radnor and Wilson parks. Jackson Lick pool will be converted into a spray park, and a spray alley will be added to Reservoir Park. The parks will also be fully ADA-compliant, will be inclusive and will have increased safety measures, according to the city.
Harrisburg is also currently creating a comprehensive recreation, park and open space plan, using a $58,900 grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. That plan will help identify additional needs for future city park projects, said the city.
While Harrisburg officials do not yet know how long it will take to complete these park and pool construction projects, they expect that this will be the largest city park project since the modernization of City Island.
“These parks will look nothing like they do now once we’re done with them,” Baker said. “We’re going to undergo a complete rehabilitation to bring them up to modern requirements and expectations for what our residents deserve.”
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