Scranton plans another spate of upgrades at several parks

JIM LOCKWOOD, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
·4 min read

SCRANTON — First work, then play.

Summer and fall in Scranton will bring work on the latest improvements at parks throughout the city, officials said.

The projects involve pools, playgrounds, pickleball courts, a splash pad and a skate park. Smaller projects involving playground equipment and courts might get done before autumn, while pool and splash pad projects should all be completed in time for summer 2025.

“We are very excited to be putting out so many of these projects to bid,” to hire contractors to do the work, Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti said. “This is going to revolutionize many of our key parks in the city, and the crown jewel of them all being Nay Aug Park.”

The projects at Nay Aug Park, Weston Field, Penn Ridge, Connell Park, Weston Park, Billy Barrett Park and Robinson Park are the latest upgrade the city has undertaken in recent years. Funding has come from federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars and state grants.

Tackling parks and recreation improvements over time stems from an extensive citywide assessment of park sites that Cognetti’s administration issued in 2022. That 300-page report evaluated conditions of all of the city’s 31 parks, proposed improvements and raised prospects of changes to some of them.

Since then, the city has been following through on the template.

“We’re really happy with the way all of this is coming together,” city Business Administrator Eileen Cipriani said of all of the park improvements.

The city recently issued in The Times-Tribune public notices requesting proposals for constructing pools at Nay Aug Park and Weston Field and renovating the Connell Park pool.

The city also expects to soon issue a public notice in the newspaper for construction of a splash pad and playground at the defunct Penn Ridge pool site on Capouse Avenue, Cipriani said.

These requests for proposals from firms interested in doing the work and details of projects are available on the city website, scrantonpa.gov, and under Business and Open Bid Opportunities. Registration is required to access the OpenGov Procurement Portal, which contains each bid or request for proposal (RFP).

Upcoming projects in 2024 include:

Nay Aug Park

The city plans a three-phased approach to restore water amenities in its largest park, where two pools were removed a few years ago. The first project to break the swimming drought here will be an activity pool with a circular slide. The existing bathhouse would be renovated under this project, which also will include installation of a pump house and piping for two future phases — a lap pool and a splash pad. The city seeks grant funding for the latter two projects.

Meanwhile, construction should begin in the fall on a pickleball court near the concession stand/community building. A deck would be built off of the rear of the community building for access to the pickleball court.

Weston Field

Demolition of the exterior pool should begin in June to make way for replacement with a new pool next to the Weston Field House along Providence Road. This pool would be similar to the activity pool that will be constructed at Nay Aug Park, though on a smaller scale. This project also calls for demolition of the existing bathhouse and maintenance building along Providence Road, and construction of a new bathhouse and pump house for the new pool.

Meanwhile, construction of a skate park at Weston Field also should get underway later this year. The skate park would go in the area of the maintenance building that will get razed.

Penn Ridge

Construction on a splash pad and playground should begin by late summer at this site on Capouse Avenue in Pine Brook. While a splash pad won’t be ready until 2025, the playground might be completed in the fall.

Connell Park

Refurbishing this pool will involve repairs to decking and the plaster on the inside of the pool, as well as work on gutters and drainage. This project won’t begin until after the 2024 summer swim season ends. “We did some work last year so it could open this season,” Cipriani said. “The goal there is not to have it out of service” for summer swim season. The upcoming 2024 summer swim season will have Connell Park and Weston Park pools and the Novembrino Splash Park all open as usual.

Weston Park

Along with reopening this pool for the summer season as usual, the city also plans to install a playground here with associated landscaping. The old, existing playground will be removed and replaced.

Billy Barrett Park

The project at this park in Minooka calls for replacing the asphalt court surface for a tennis court and a pair of pickleball courts.

Robinson Park

The project at this park on East Mountain will include new playground equipment, a multipurpose pickleball court, a loop wellness trail and parking improvements.