Officials from the City of Scranton held an opening ceremony to celebrate improvements made to Oakmont Park, 200 Debbie Dr., Scranton, on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Upgrades cost a total of $447,496, including $215,296 in Scranton’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
“The renovation of Oakmont Park is the fourth major park project completed with help from the Rescue Plan,” said Scranton Mayor Paige G. Cognetti. “By investing in our green spaces, we continue to create places where neighbors can come together and enjoy more of what our city has to offer. We’re thankful to the East Mountain neighbors whose input helped us restore another beautiful park.”
At Oakmont, the East Mountain park was nearly empty after years of disrepair. The once mostly concrete plot is now filled with new bright blue, green, and purple playground equipment. The City also installed safe play surfaces, replaced a gazebo, and refurbished existing basketball courts.
Previous park renovation projects completed using ARPA funds include Connors Park, the North Scranton Mini Park, and Novembrino Park. Additional projects utilizing ARPA funds include Capouse Avenue which will feature the City’s second splash pad, renovations to the Connell Park pool, a new swim complex at Nay Aug Park, playground equipment at Robinson Park, and outdoor pool renovations and a skate park at Weston Field.
Improvements throughout Scranton are based upon an October 2021 parks study and needs assessment.
Information about Scranton’s ARPA plan is online at scrantonpa.gov/arpa.
ABOUT THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) OF 2021: ARPA is a $1.9 trillion federal economic stimulus bill. The City of Scranton received $68.7 million in ARPA funds to respond to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its economic impacts. The mission of Scranton’s ARPA program is to provide access to resources, rebuild infrastructure systems that impact everyday life, and foster equitable wealth generation targeting Scranton residents’ needs.
Oakmont Park Transformation Beautifies Part of Scranton’s East Mountain | Press Release
Last modified: May 31, 2024
