Nov 12, 2018 2 min read

VESTABURG – The concrete had yet to dry on new, expensive playground equipment in a rural Mon Valley community when it was vandalized earlier this month.

One of the support poles had been moved and someone spray-painted graffiti on the $90,000 playground before its installation was completed, East Bethlehem Township officials said.

“They were ripping it apart before we can get it together,” said township secretary Maryann Kubacki.

The playground grew out of efforts in 2016 to improve the park, using a $30,000 grant from the local share of the slots revenue at The Meadows Casino in North Strabane Township. However, the $30,000 ended up being spent on creating a new playing surface for the basketball court, which was beyond repair, Kubacki said.

The township applied for a second local share grant and was awarded $36,000 for the playground equipment.

“We actually applied for a smaller grant and found (another) grant that would double our money,” said Leisa Conklin, a township commissioner from Vestaburg.

The newer grant came from Gametime, an Alabama manufacturer of commercial playground equipment.

Township officials agreed that the children in the former coal-mining community needed something to occupy their time.

“We’re really trying to provide a great space for our children, our grandchildren,” Conklin said.

Township board President Joe Swinchock said it was a “no-brainer” that something needed to be done for the children in the area.

“It’s really awesome,” Swinchock said, referring to the large playground.

He said the commissioners are planning to create a small walking trail for members of the local senior citizen center, which is across the street from the park along Second Street.

Conklin said she would like to return regularly scheduled events at the park like there were in previous generations.

“We want to bring that back to this generation of kids,” she said.

The commissioners also are looking into ways to improve play spaces in other areas of the township.

As for the vandals, Conklin said, security measures have been put into place at the park to identify and prosecute them in the future.