Saxonburg Rotary to build new playground at site of old water tower
SAXONBURG — Saxonburg Area Rotary Club was given the green light to begin work on a new playground, which would be located on a vacant block on West Main Street that once housed the borough’s water tower.
Saxonburg signed a memorandum of understanding with the Rotary Club during the borough council meeting on Tuesday night, March 18, which will allow the club to make use of the 0.18-acre plot of land that is still owned by the borough.
“We hope to break ground sometime in April, depending on the weather,” said Rotarian Brian Antosyk, who is also a council member. “We're hoping to have the majority of it completed by the fall.”
According to Antosyk, the land area that will be used for the playground is 50 feet by 70 feet, which takes up a fraction of the 50 feet by 144 feet area of the land parcel.
Saxonburg Rotary first discussed its plans to create a playground on the site in April 2024. Antosyk said the West Main Street site was one of several potential sites that were considered.
“That was our first choice because it's one of the safer places to do it,” Antosyk said. “We tried to have it around the Main Street area so if people were shopping, they could go there, sit, and watch their kids on the on the play equipment.”
According to county property records, the plot of land was originally granted to the borough back in 2012 by the Saxonburg Area Authority, which provides sewer service to Saxonburg and other municipalities.
Among the planned features of the playground will be a replica of the iconic Saxonburg Rotary trolley — often seen at borough events such as holiday parades — as well as monkey bars and a balance beam. However, due to the playground’s small footprint, there will be no room for a swing set.
“Because the area's not that big, there’s not enough of a fall area for swings,” Antosyk said.
The Rotary has budgeted about $130,000 for the construction of the playground.
“We’re looking for some major sponsors to help us along, and we believe that we'll be able to fundraise and get it built within this year,” Antosyk said.
