Murrysville Community Park may have gotten most of the attention this summer thanks to its brand new splash park and playground, but municipal recreation officials don’t want residents to forget about the other parks in town.
“We’ve taken a park each year and outlined what needs to be updated and repaired in the capital improvements plan,” said recreation director Carly Greene.
This summer, Bear Hollow Park, which is tucked away along the banks of Haymaker Run in the Heather Highlands neighborhood, was updated with new playground equipment including a “selfie swing,” outfitted with a molded-plastic pocket so parents can shoot video while on the swing with their children.
“We’re trying to make each park with a playground a little different,” Greene said. “Each park has its own personality and its own features, and we hope to keep them true to that.”
Greene said plans are in the works to update parks over the next five years, and her department sets tentative plans for a full decade, though those long-term projections are more of a guide.
“It includes things like replacing signage, pavilion roofs, playgrounds, baseball fields that might need a backstop fixed,” she said. “Planning alleviates us from bouncing around throughout the year to all the parks. It’s a more comprehensive way of streamlining repairs and updates.”
Next year, the seven-acre Pedora Park on Wilson Road will be updated, followed in 2021 by Kovalczik Park on Koval Court.
“A lot of people don’t know about our smaller parks,” Greene said. “Places like Bear Hollow get a lot of use, though.”
For more, call the recreation department at 724-327-2100, ext. 115.
