Ground has been broken for renovations to a southside Reading playground.
The ceremonial groundbreaking was the first step in revitalizing the Reading Iron Playground, 723 Laurel St.
“Today we celebrate this park that has long been a beacon for this area,” Mayor Eddie Moran said at Monday’s groundbreaking. “We celebrate this transformation into a space that honors its history while embracing new opportunities for outdoor activities and community engagement.”
The $649,900 project will include refurbishing the baseball field and adding a new volleyball court, safe play surface, swings and all-abilities play set, and increasing security with new fencing and lighting. New walkways also will be installed to connect the play areas to a community garden on the nearly 2-acre site.
The renovations will be funded with a combination of American Rescue Plan Act, Community Development Block Grant and city capital improvement project funds.
The park has been a cornerstone of the south of Penn Street community for decades, the mayor said.
Children have been playing on the ground hemmed by Laurel Street and Gilson and Neversink alleys since the early 1900s. The city began formal playground activities there in the 1920s. At the time, the property was owned by the massive Reading Iron Company, which used a well on the site as a source of water for its pipe mill. Because the company was unwilling to sell the land, a long-term lease with the city was arranged and the first improvements to the park were made in the 1930s, according to an article in the Reading Eagle on Feb. 4, 1931.
Moran said plans for the upcoming enhancements were driven by members of the community, including youths, who voiced their vision for the park.
“In order to ask our young adults to sway away from potential violence, we have to give them a space where they can thrive,” Moran said.
The mayor invited residents and a group of the city’s summer youth interns to join him along with city elected officials and department heads in moving the first few shovels full of dirt.
Several of the youth interns assigned to the city’s Public Works Department worked on cleanup and painting projects at the playground.
“This is your park,” Moran said to the residents and youth. “This is your environment, and you make it what you want to make it. And I hope you take ownership and you take pride, because we believe in you.”
The project is an example of what can be achieved when city officials listen to community members and work together.
“I look forward to seeing the Reading Iron Playground come to life in new and exciting ways,” Moran said, “and I know it will continue to be a place where memories are made for generations to come.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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