Upper Park nearing completion

The site of yellow caution tape surrounding Lehighton’s Upper Park indicated that work remains underway.

But make no mistake about it: The park’s renovation project is nearing completion after being closed since July.

While still not a finished product, the park is coming along just fine, according to borough Manager Nicole Beckett.

“Contractors are finishing some of the caulking around the concrete, the benches are on order,” Beckett said. “The borough will have some stuff we’ll be completing in-house; we’ll be waiting for grass to grow.”

Beckett noted that just this past weekend, both the Upper and Lower parks took center stage in hosting the borough’s fourth annual Rocktoberfest.

“Borough officials were proud to unveil the Upper Park renovations for Rocktoberfest 2019,” she said. “The amphitheater is used by many community organizations for a variety of events.”

Beckett noted that the total contract with Kobalt Construction Inc. came to $517,900, which doesn’t include the purchase of the lighting, along with all of the work that the borough’s Light and Power Department has done.

She said there’s new lighting — including much more perimeter lighting — and sidewalks have been installed. In addition, Beckett said the amphitheater has been refurbished and is ADA-accessible from the South Street side.

Further, Beckett said 25 benches have been ordered based on funds per the borough’s Parks and Recreation Board, for which the borough will be installing.

“Through grant funding, borough contributions and the workmanship of the (borough) Light & Power Department, the park is updated, pedestrian friendly, well-lit, ADA-accessible and a venue to showcase our community,” she said. “It is a great asset to have these two parks in the center of the downtown.”

Earlier this month, borough council opted to not add nine benches in the amount of $15,000 around the perimeter of the Upper Park due to budgetary restraints.

Beckett notified council members at that time that the borough didn’t have the funds for those benches.

Councilwoman Autumn Abelovsky previously said the Parks and Recreation Board had raised $40,000 for benches through the capital campaign project to pay for about 25 benches.

In conjunction with the Upper Park project, the borough offered the painted benches that once graced the park back to those who sponsored them.

Replacement pavers in the newly renovated amphitheater were made available to those interested in continuing the honor or memory that the benches represented.

On a 5-0 vote at a special meeting in June, council agreed to award a contract for the Upper Park renovation project in the amount of $468,500 to Kobalt Construction Inc., which was also the project coordinator for the borough’s refurbished downtown park.

The borough received funding in the amount of $350,000 from the Commonwealth Financing Authority for improvements to the park, which is used for concerts, movies and other community events.