Progress

February 10, 2009

Revived Nay Aug Park area focus of Scranton group

Restoring the site of former Hanlon’s Grove is Leadership Lackawanna’s 2009 project.

RALPH NARDONE Times Leader Correspondent

SCRANTON -- Another city park improvement project kicked off Monday morning.

Leadership Lackawanna’s class of 2009 announced at the Scranton Chamber of Commerce that it will spearhead a $125,000 project to restore the site of the former Hanlon’s Grove in Nay Aug Park.

“We’re very excited about it,” said Elizabeth Rightor, class member and public relations director for the Scranton chamber. The 26 class members developed the complete proposal to revitalize the grove to what it looked like in its heyday in the 1950s, she said, and presented it to the city administration.

During the kickoff announcement, Mayor Chris Doherty expressed pride in partnering in the collaborative effort. Mark Dougher, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, commended the effort as well. The city will always back members of the community wishing to invest in city parks, Dougher said.

Leadership Lackawanna is soliciting sponsorships and donations from corporations and applying for state and federal grants, Rightor said. Approximately $20,000 has been raised so far, she said.

George Mercer from Procter & Gamble presented a check for $7,500. He said the money will help rebuild the historic outdoor destination where families can gather and enjoy time together.

Several other private contributors were recognized for financial or other donations such as materials or labor. The sponsor list includes Scranton area businesses FastSigns, King Outdoor advertising, Lamar Advertising, Penn East Federal Credit Union, Ridgeways and Joseph Rominski Architecture, Rightor said.

If all goes as planned, the construction will begin in May and finish in early August, she said. Parkgoers can then take advantage of eight new picnic areas complete with tables, grills and trash facilities.

The grove will also include green space for local children to use, walkways and a “water feature,” where old, decrepit steps will be transformed into a waterfall display, she added.

Rightor particularly enjoyed hearing from people who remembered going to Hanlon’s Grove in their youth say how they were going to bring their children back there when it is finished.

Contributors can purchase sections of the new walkways that will include bricks named as dedication, Dougher said. When complete, the new Hanlon’s Grove will be handicapped accessible and include open green space in the city, he said.

Dougher added that the water feature is raising eyebrows throughout the city’s administration as a dilapidated step structure will become an aesthetically pleasing water fall.

Shannon Cross, construction leader for the project, said the existing location has been unsightly since the city demolished an amphitheater that was damaged in an ice storm a few years ago.

“We’re starting from scratch,” he said.

However, the land is flat and will require primarily landscaping.

If the popularity of the grove grows, more features can be added in the future, he said.

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