POTTSVILLE -- Pottsville city leaders want to fix up some of the city's parks.
Joulwan Park in Pottsville is a usual hangout for 10-year-old Diane Parfaite.
"I don't like being inside a lot," Diane said. "That's why I come out with my bike."
Diane and her mother, Darlene Stepp, are happy to know her favorite park is getting some new equipment. The city of Pottsville just added new playground equipment here.
"I think it's wonderful," Stepp said. "The kids love it. Before, there wasn't much to do up here, now there's a lot. They get to hang out. They get to have fun with their friends and it's a lot safer.
The equipment was a gift to the city from the borough of Mechanicsville. It is gently used.
"My personal feeling is blight is one thing, but if you give the children something to do..." Pottsville City Councilman Joseph Devine said. "This is the way we're going to do it, by recreational areas.
City councilman Joseph Devine oversees all 15 parks in Pottsville. He's been pushing for years to fix them up. He already has about half of the money he needs to renovate the basketball court at Joulwan Park. Updating it will cost about $20,000 dollars. Devine said it is important to fix up these parks.
"Its for the children," Devine said. "It's for the children and for parents that watch their kids during the day and they want to walk them outside and get some fresh air into their lungs."
There's no set date for when new renovations will come to the parks. Councilman Devine is working with local businesses to raise more money.