TREMONT, Pa. — Jim Scheibly has lived in Tremont all his life and showed Newswatch 16 the playground he used to go to all the time as a kid.
Now he works as the borough's road manager. He's 55 years old and says the playground equipment is older than he is.
"The one we don't have currently isn't commercial, and we get hounded by the insurance company every time they're here. It's pretty much a residential play structure, and they really don't want it here," he said.
Although the slide and swings have survived every flood that's hit Tremont, Scheibly believes this entire playground needs an upgrade to make it safe and handicap accessible.
"There's really nothing left in town to do anymore. So that's one thing I have a liking for is to get for our people, our kids in the community. Because we really have nothing," he added.
That's where the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) comes into play. Tremont received almost $300,000 in grant money to give the playground an extreme makeover.
They hope to have a playground similar to Kaier's Park in Mahanoy City. That borough is getting an $8,000 grant from the DCNR to add a small children's area to its playground.
"If they want to take their kids out, they have a nice safe place that they can go, and their kids can play, and you know, they can relax, and they don't have to worry about them running on the street," John Fatula, Mahanoy City borough manager.
Mahanoy City opened Kaier's Park about five years ago. Mahanoy City used state grant money to knock down the old Kaier Brewery in 2017 and replace it with something everyone can use.
"The phases we've already put in, we've noticed a dramatic improvement. The number of people who actually use the park, I'm surprised. Sometimes I go by the park, and it's amazing to see how many people are there," Fatula added.
While neither project has a completion date, both communities expect to start work on the new playgrounds in the spring.
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