East Fairmount Park in State College will be closed for about two months when work begins next week on a long-planned improvement project.
Construction is scheduled to begin Monday, July 25, and the park is expected to be fenced off for approximately 60 days, according to a notice from the borough.
The project will include installation of a new pavilion and playground equipment with safety surfacing, a new pedestrian path, ADA parking, landscaping and stormwater management for the park located at 518 E. Fairmount Ave.
East Fairmount Park was established as a borough park in 1976 (the property was owned by State College School District before that) and is well used, but hasn’t received much in the way of upgrades over the decades. In 2018, the borough hired architect Dan Jones to work with staff, Centre Region Parks and Recreation and Highlands neighborhood residents to develop a plan for the park that accommodates activities, enhances natural features, beautifies the space, improves accessibility and preserves features residents currently enjoy.
Several meetings were held in 2018 and 2019 to create the plan with community input and a master plan was presented to borough council in 2019.
Improvements will have a large lawn with flexible uses at the center, bordered by a walking path. The park will have play zone with playground equipment, a picnic zone with a small pavilion and a walking zone.
“This is a classic park with a lawn, trees, pathways and benches and you can come in there and sit and really enjoy it,” Jones said of the plan in 2019. “And it’s for everyone, not just for kids on a playground, not just for people playing ball. It works for everybody in some way.”
The borough awarded the contract for the project in May to Landserve Inc., which had a low bid of $247,507.50. Old equipment has already been removed and some perimeter landscaping has been planted.
Project funding includes $101,000 awarded in 2019 from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Recreation and Conservation grant program, as well as $143,886.06 from Community Development Block Grant funds and $2,621.44 from the borough’s general fund.
During the East Fairmount Park closure, the borough encourages residents to explore other neighborhood and regional parks by visiting www.crpr.org/find-your-park.
