WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Green concrete beams stand tall in Wilkes-Barre's Kirby Park and something new stands even taller behind them on the park grounds.
"We passed it on the drive in, so we were like, 'Wow, what are they like building over there?'" said Danielle Wende of Kingston.
Wende and her 4-year-old daughter Olivia frequent the park for scooter rides.
The park's new addition will help make it easier to keep Olivia's lanes free and clear of obstacles.
"A brand-new building, much easier access in and out for the equipment that we'll be using. But also, as I said, it's a place for our maintenance guys to store their equipment but also having a public bathroom facility. Now we're building another public bathroom facility, but until that is built, this will be one that people can use," explained Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown.
To go with the new special-needs playground here, Mayor Brown says the second bathroom facility will be closer to the playground with ADA-compliant restrooms and showers.
Both buildings will require sewer upgrades in the park which the city is working with Wilkes University to accomplish.
With more ADA accommodations in mind, additional pathways will also be added to the park.
"We're going to incorporate more concrete pathways so that people in wheelchairs or ADA people that have a problem walking can now go around the pond, but also we're going to have a little pier area that they can go out and actually enjoy the pond like everybody else does," added Brown.
"It definitely makes everything more accessible for everybody," said Wende.
The mayor says these changes are in the works now and should be ready to enjoy at many events the city of Wilkes-Barre is hosting there later this year.