Play sets coming to Butler city parks
Butler Memorial Park and Rotary Park will be the first two city parks to get new equipment following a vote by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Butler on Thursday. Christie Avenue also will get improvements.
Veronica Walker, authority acting executive director, said she would call the project’s engineer, Gateway Engineers, to have the company begin buying the equipment. The redevelopment authority board accepted a bid from WK Thomas, a Butler-based construction company, to provide the improvement work.
This phase of the project will cost just over $1,018,000.
“There’s three play sets being installed at Butler Memorial Park (and) one play set being installed at Rotary Park, along with off-street parking, sidewalks,” Walker said.
Christie Avenue will be paved.
Butler and the redevelopment authority received $1,428,159 in Community Development Block Grant-CARES Act funding last year, much of which is being used for park improvements in the city. A portion of the money also is going toward helping fund the Emergency Housing Repair Program. Father Marinaro Park also is scheduled to receive improvements.
Brian McCafferty, chairman of the redevelopment authority, said Walker found the grant opportunity and introduced it to Butler City Council, which applied for the money for the improvements.
“They brainstormed what can we spend this money on; they came up with these items that needed to be done,” McCafferty said. “Luckily we got the money and it’s going to happen.”
Walker said it will be a long time before park-goers see the improvements or the new play sets because of supply chain issues. She said the improvements may be done next year.
Jay Fennell, assistant secretary/treasurer for the authority, said at the meeting he is happy that a company based in Butler would perform the improvement work.
“It was nice they had the lowest bid,” Fennel said. “And from what I know, they have a good reputation.”
