McADOO — The new Kline Township playground will be next to the township’s municipal authority — if the supervisors have their way.
The supervisors have been looking for a spot for a new playground on land the township can own so they can seek grants to develop it.
The present playground, south of James Street between Second and Third streets in Kelayres, is on land the township leases. And the equipment at the 60-plus-year-old playground is outdated.
“We are looking at the fenced-in area at the Kline Township Municipal Authority across from the flags,” Supervisor Dale Wesner said, referring to the new veterans memorial at the entrance to Kelayres.
“It’s a flat area, a beautiful area, already fenced-in with the water as the backdrop,” Wesner said. “Maybe the front area can be for a parking lot, and it’s ADA (compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act) to go in.”
The supervisors have been working with a local charitable organization that may fund the playground, Wesner said.
“We will have a sit-down and lay out what the township will like, what equipment is available, what funds are available,” Wesner said. “They (whoever builds it) will need federal certifications for people who install it to ADA standards. Any investment, when they (the organization) put that capital in, they want you to own the land. We are open to any donations. We already have some businesses and residents who said they would like to donate. We are trying to do it without using tax money.”
The new playground will have equipment meant for children ages 2 to 12, Wesner said. The playground would be made up of a unit that includes sliding boards and climbing facilities. It would replace the decades-old swings, sliding boards and teeter-totters at the present playground.
There are also grants available for recreation, Wesner said, through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The township would only have to provide a $20,000 match to get $40,000.
At a recent meeting, Kelayres resident Jerry Notaro pointed out since the water company land is close to McAdoo, children from the borough may use the playground.
“That isn’t a bad thing, but it is a consideration,” Notaro said.
Wesner pointed out township children use the McAdoo playground, which isn’t far from the township.
The water company land was chosen after a search by the supervisors for a piece of land big enough for the playground, Wesner said.
“We talked to some people, but they didn’t want to give up any of the land,” Wesner said. “There were only a few places we could have went. Some of the land requires clearing. If someone is looking to donate land, we’ll take it. We are not in a position for an acquisition.”
The township owns the water company, so land ownership would not be an issue.
“There were areas we looked at,” Supervisor Carmen Cara said. “This was the one that we picked.”
More work has to be done, Wesner said.
“It is a slow process,” he said. “We have to do a site survey, talk to our solicitor and to the insurance company.”
Land sale
The supervisors are hoping to sell a parcel of land they acquired along Lofty Road and use that money to help develop the playground.
The 3.87-acre vacant lot was part of a subdivision in 1998 by Reading Energy Holdings.
“Designating an area for recreational purposes was required of the property owner,” Mark Semanchik, township solicitor, said. “Over the years, there was some use of that property, but it really has not been fully used, and it is in an area that is not really desirable for recreational activities.”
The supervisors voted to authorize Semanchik to petition Schuylkill County Court to allow the township to sell the lot without the restriction for recreational use.
“The township code allows you to petition the Court of Common Pleas of Schuylkill County, and request the court consider it is not a desirable property for recreation, hasn’t been used for it for a number of years, and there may be an opportunity to sell it and use the proceeds to improve another recreational site somewhere else in the township that might be more desirable,” Semanchik said.
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