Almost exactly one year ago, the tot lot at Memorial Field in Penndel closed down due to safety concerns about the condition of the equipment. A year later, renovations are complete and the tot lot is open for play.
Closing down a playground right as summer is about to come around in full swing is the last thing the council wanted to do. However at the advice of the borough’s counsel, and not wanting any children to get hurt, the part was shut down.
Advertisements
“We really didn’t know that it was in such bad condition,” explained Penndel Borough Council Vice President Gianpiero Lo Piccolo.
After being closed for months and blocked off, the park had a grand re-opening ceremony last weekend. Refreshments, face painting and donated Rita’s Italian Ice helped to make the ribbon cutting a success, Lo Piccolo said.
“It was just a lot of teamwork and a lot of people really working together,” Lo Piccolo told LevittownNow.com. “It was so rewarding to see so many smiling faces.”
Advertisements
The original estimate for the renovations came out to about $25,000. Penndel Borough Council reached out to State Rep. Tina Davis and State Sen. Tommy Tomlinson and other officials to help move the renovations forward. Council members and community residents worked together to implement the replacement. Operating engineers 542 and local carpenters unions donated time and labor. After all was said and done, the project came out to about $13,500.
Councilwoman Karen Flowers and her husband played huge roles in getting the playground back open, putting in countless hours, Lo Piccolo said.
