FREELAND -- There's an effort underway to revive a public park in Luzerne County, but without much of a budget.
The public park in Freeland along Front Street was once far more popular than it is now. Over the years, it's been worn down, but the borough's recreation board, filled with volunteers who live in the community, has started a big effort with little funds to pretty up this park.
“You hear on social media all the time that everything looks bad. We want to get it to look nice so people can come and say, ‘I’m proud to live in a town like Freeland that has a beautiful park,’” said Ronald Harkins with the Freeland Recreation Board.
With a budget of only $300 to revive the entire park, the borough needed volunteers to step up and people to donate. And many did.
“I think this effort is going to be a catalyst for us to use our park a little bit more. That is what I would like to see,” said volunteer Jennifer Farley.
Farley has volunteered her time over the past few weeks. In cold and even rainy weather, she's come out to fill the flower bed, hoping to make this park look its best in time for the borough's Memorial Day celebration.
Companies, like John Yagalla's Precision Lawn & Landscaping, have also pitched in, donating mulch and other materials.
“I’ve seen this park my whole life. I grew up here. I just wanted to give back, to bring it back to what it was when I was a child. I have children, and I want them to be able to do the same things I did,” Yagalla said.
The timing is perfect. The borough has received grant money for a new jungle gym for the park so that Yagalla's kids and all the kids in Freeland can enjoy the park the same way their parents did.
