TANNERSVILLE, Pa. — If you watch 3-year-old Maxton from Saylorsburg play long enough at the park, he might tire you out. His dad Michael Macaluso says they visit Mountain View Park in Pocono Township several times a month because they have such a great selection of playground equipment.
"It's big and he loves it. He loves all the obstacles, slides. (He) loves going down slides," said Macaluso.
Very soon, kids like Maxton will have even more to do at the park.
Construction has started on a 100-foot ZipVenture zip line.
Pocono Township Manager Taylor Munoz says they're also replacing an old merry-go-round spinner with a larger one that will be ADA-accessible.
Also getting an upgrade is the old fit trail, turning it into a challenger course that features seven obstacles for kids.
"Mountain View Park, in particular, has been here a long time. People know it from their childhood growing up. They've seen the changes over time, and there's just equipment that's been installed 10,20, 30 years ago that we want to refresh and update and just help kids build creativity and have fun."
While some of the pieces need to be updated, Munoz says the goal of the new equipment is hopefully to add something for kids of all ages.
"We're really engaged in trying to just increase opportunities for recreation across the board, not just the kids on the low end of the spectrum, the 2-to 5-year-olds, but the 5 to 12-year-olds and even a little bit older than that. Just have a full offering for everyone," said Munoz.
Upgrades to the park were made possible through grants and open space funds.
Parents are grateful the township is providing reliable and safe equipment for children to play on.
"It's really important for the kids. I mean, they need a spot to play and somewhere to go after school and stuff. It is nice for them," said Macaluso.
Munoz says the goal is to open the new zipline and merry-go-round spinner in mid-September. The challenger course should open shortly after.