Construction of long-planned improvements to a Ferguson Township park is expected to begin Monday, according to the township.
Improvements at Suburban Park, 101 Suburban Avenue, will include a new pavilion with horseshoe pits, outdoor fitness exercise equipment, a new concrete entry area with a kiosk and bike rack at the existing parking lot, an asphalt perimeter path and connecting paths to the regional bike route, four bridges and perimeter plantings at the southern and eastern property lines.
The project also will remove the existing drainage culvert and relocate the stream to the south, along with other stormwater upgrades.
Construction is expected to continue through the end of the year.
While work is underway, the tennis courts, play area and pavilion will remain open, but the on-site parking area will be closed. Alternate parking can be found on Marjorie Mae Street off of Vairo Boulevard to the north of the park or along East Aaron Drive to the south, though drivers should pay attention to no parking signs, according to the township.
The upcoming work is phase one of improvements included in the updated Suburban Park Master Plan adopted by the township in 2019.
LandServ, Inc., of Boalsburg, was awarded the contract for the project in March with a low bid of $796,613. The township had $881,600 budgeted for the work, including a $250,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
Located between Vairo Boulevard and East Aaron Drive, the 13-acre Suburban Park serves the Overlook Heights neighborhood in northeast Ferguson Township. The property was acquired by the township in the 1960s and developed as a municipal park in the early 1970s, when the first master plan for the park was created.
