MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — Work is already underway at High Acres Park near Canadensis to add more parking spaces and replace old benches and grills.
Barrett Township is getting a $12,000 grant from the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau to help with upgrades.
"It'll be great because more families will be able to come and able to enjoy themselves, and it'll be more up-to-date for them," said Sylvia Garcia of Cresco.
It's part of the Visitors Bureau community impact grant.
The money comes from the occupancy tax charged by hotels and short-term rentals in the Poconos.
In total, 37 projects are getting grant money, including Tunkhannock Township, which received $15,000 to fix the fencing around its baseball field.
Tiana Weidman from Effort is grateful money is going towards improvements.
"I think having parks and playgrounds to just really enhance the area is really beneficial for the kids because it has a safe place for them to go to. So I think it's a really wonderful opportunity for the town to have grant money coming in to build a better park," Weidman said.
Many of the renovations and upgrades are needed, and people say it's really nice that the tourism dollars are coming back to the local residents.
"At least they're using the money to build it up, to build up the areas, and it's always good that they're thinking about those who live in the neighborhood so that they can have other resources to be able to come out to," said Garcia.
"The tourism dollars to be able to impact the local community," Weidman said. "We all come together and work together and do not feel like one trying to take over the other. So I think that's a really wonderful opportunity that brings in the neighborhoods."
More than $300,000 was given out to community projects across Wayne, Pike, Monroe, and Carbon counties.
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