SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Plans are in motion for a new splash pad in the City of Scranton. Officials announced they are now accepting bids for its installation. This comes as part of a broader effort to revitalize an area long overdue for renewal.
What was once an abandoned pool site is soon to be a cornerstone of community life in Scranton, thanks to a multi-million-dollar investment.
"We love those splashpads we're able to put them in, the whole project is around $2,000,000, a combination of federal, state, and local money," said Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti.
Investing in the park's redesign is part of efforts to revitalize the Pine Brook and Green Ridge areas.
"You're seeing lots of businesses invest, you have cool stuff like axe throwing, you have on and on, you have national bakery of course as an anchor so you have a lot of things that are great here again between Pinebrook and Greenridge so to get this back up and running to have it be a neighborhood spot, place for events, its going to be really great for not just the neighborhood but this as a destination for the whole city," Mayor Cognetti explained.
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Mayor Cognetti also shared her satisfaction with the progress, reflecting on the journey from demolition to now, aiming to break ground this summer.
"This used to be a pool, it used to be a big footprint in the area, when we came into office it was really a dangerous hole in the ground frankly with a bathhouse that was crumbling, we were able to demo it and get what you see here which is a nice pad where we're going to have a splash pad, a pavilion, greenspace, for all the neighbors here in Pinebrook to enjoy, to able to have events, and get those amenities back up and running for the kids," Mayor Cognetti continued.
Although Capouse Park won't be ready for visitors this summer, two new pools in Scranton will be open and ready to welcome guests.
"We're confident that the Weston Field pool and Connell pool will be back open, completely rebuilt this summer, so we're really excited to be investing in these amenities, making sure that we have pools and splash pads all across the city for our kids," Mayor Cognetti stated.
Bids for the splash pad are due by April 14, separate bids for the overall sitework are due by April 17, and if anyone is looking for a summer job, the city is hiring lifeguards for those two new pools.
