CARLISLE — The South of South Street Association will cap off nearly two years of work with the grand re-opening of the Butcher Family Tot Lot Saturday.
Rather than a traditional ribbon cutting, children will slide down the new 9-foot sliding board to cut the ribbon, said Annie Oiler, one of the coordinators of the project.
The ceremony will be at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Butcher Family Tot Lot, located at 46 Chestnut Ave., in the block between South Hanover and South Pitt streets and Walnut and Chestnut streets.
“We’re just really excited that it’s all come together,” Oiler said.
Perhaps the most visible work happened during the month of November when borough crews removed the old equipment and started installing the new equipment. About a dozen neighbors also gathered for a work day, during which they cleared the brush and repainted the fence and the swing sets, Oiler said.
Along with the playground equipment, the basketball pad was extended by five feet, a new fence was installed along Chestnut Avenue, and four additional benches will be installed.
“Families won’t outgrow the park as quick as they would before,” Oiler said.
Carlisle Recreation and Parks Director Andrea Crouse said it’s exciting to listen to ideas from the neighborhood groups and then see them come to fruition.
“Just like the neighborhoods within the borough, the needs of each park project is different,” she said. “I think the neighborhood associations have done an outstanding job of capturing the needs and wants of their neighborhoods.”
The department often provides technical assistance for park planning and grant writing, Crouse said. It also helps coordinate the installation of the equipment and amenities.
There is still work to be done. Oiler said the landscaping will be done in the spring since it had to wait until after the equipment was installed. The neighborhood association has also adopted the park, and will keep an eye on it to monitor it for future maintenance needs.
“We’re not actively fundraising, but if anyone wants to donate, we’ll take it,” Oiler said.
In April, the borough received a $19,000 grant from Cumberland County’s Land Partnership Program specifically for the project’s playground equipment.
“That was a matching grant, so we had to have that in our funds,” Oiler said.
The association also received a $5,000 grant from Partnership for Better Health, and a $1,000 donation from the Carlisle Walmart to add to the funds donated by local businesses and residents, Oiler said.
Bimbo Bakeries also purchased a piece of equipment worth about $5,000, she said.
Email Tammie Gitt at tgitt@cumberlink.com or follow her on Twitter @SentinelGitt
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