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NARROWSBURG – The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) recently paid Damascus Township $15,000 to offset the purchase of new playground equipment for the expanding public recreational use of the Damascus Township Park.

The funding came out of a $100,000 “Townships, Technology & Sustainability” grant administered by the PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) that Pennsylvania Representative Jonathan Fritz (111th District), Representative Mike Peifer (139th District), and Senator Lisa Baker (20th District) secured for the UDC in 2019.

Damascus Township Park sits on a 78-acre property that overlooks the Delaware River, with roughly three-quarters of it covered in native woodland. Developed facilities include the township municipal building, road maintenance sheds, an eight-acre shale pit operation, a cell tower, and a park area which currently offers a pavilion, small playground, baseball field, volleyball court, hiking trail, and a heritage barn.

Thanks to successfully obtaining numerous grants, Damascus Township and its Parks and Recreation Committee are implementing phased improvements to the existing public recreational facilities that will include construction of a new playground with safety surfacing, a concrete loop path, benches, and durable grade outdoor equipment to accommodate all ages and abilities.

They ordered $75,226 worth of Playworld brand children’s recreation playground sets from George Ely Associates (GEA), Inc. of Carlisle, PA that await installation.

Next to trail improvements, a new playground was the second most requested amenity by the public during the Damascus Township Park’s 2016-2019 master site planning process.

Plans also include extensively renovating the approximately 30-year-old baseball field and its facilities, constructing an adjacent gravel parking area, building an amphitheater with seating, and installing asphalt, connecting walkways.

The Damascus project wraps up the Council’s disbursement of funds allocated for the community need proposals solicited from its five PA township members.

Prior grants supported Westfall ($12,123.09 for municipal building parking lot renovations and paving), Shohola ($15,000 for the township building’s new roof), Lackawaxen ($14,847.18 for the Care Cabin Food Pantry), and Berlin ($15,000 for Berlin Township Community Center parking lot paving).

For more information on the UDC and its activities, visit www.upperdelawarecouncil.org or its social media pages, or call the Narrowsburg, NY office at (845) 252-3022.