WILKES-BARRE -- New slides, new spinning devices, and fencing are just some of the improvements recently made to Frances Slocum Park in Wilkes-Barre, off North Pennsylvania Avenue.
"It's very important that we take care of our parks on a yearly basis and throughout my administration, we renovated each and every park throughout the city of Wilkes-Barre,” said Mayor Tom Leighton.
The city spent more than $180,000 of federal tax money on the renovations at Frances Slocum Park, hoping it attracts more people to use it.
"They did a lot of new improvements for the little kids. I didn't used to bring my kids often, but after it changed, I now bring them all the time,” said Sharon Solsa of Wilkes-Barre.
One of the biggest ticket items at the park is a basketball court. It cost about $28,000 and has a special rubber material that’s supposed to last twice as long as traditional asphalt.
"They didn't used to have it before, so it's a really good improvement for the community,” said Solsa.
But folks who live around Frances Slocum Park aren't the only ones scoring big. The city also pumped close to $140,000 into Casey Park a couple blocks away from Coal Street.
"We're trying to get some of the local community members to maintain the park, keeping it clean and just appreciating the new improvements that the city installed,” said developer George Albert.
And right now, the parks are all ready for play.
