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Birders’ Corner

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In Focus: Pope Francis shows power of being caring, compassionate human being

<p>HOLLENBACK TWP. &#8212; The first time Haley Progansky climbed the tall ladder to reach the top of the sliding board, she was a little hesitant to go down.</p><p>That changed once she reached the bottom.</p><p>&#8220;Good,&#8221; Progansky, 4, pronounced after one of her many slides down the shiny metal chute at the Hollenback Township Community Park.</p><p>Township supervisors Saturday dedicated the park along West County Road and showed off the playground equipment, pavilions and a walking trail built on a hillside field. The township received a $20,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and contributed a matching amount in labor and materials.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s our way of giving back to the taxpayers,&#8221; said township Supervisor Gary Moyer.</p><p>He put together the teeter-totter. A plastic pipe, painted in greens and yellows, that kids could crawl through was left over from the road department. &#8220;All the piping on the swings, that&#8217;s all handmade,&#8221; said Supervisor Dave Thomas.</p><p>Larry Rinehimer, the other supervisor, took a trip on the sliding board with his 18-month-old daughter, Lily Grace. The slide came from neighboring Wapwallopen and was refurbished with new rails and a ladder.</p><p>&#8220;We are very proud of a our new park,&#8221; Rinehimer said, giving credit to the township road crew. &#8220;They built about everything with their bare hands.&#8221;</p><p>Chris Cope sat at a picnic table under a pavilion with his 5-year-old daughter, Gracie. They were among the approximate 20 people who attended the dedication.</p><p>Cope was thrilled there was a swing that his handicapped daughter could use. &#8220;She loved it,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Close to the swings was a small pavilion with a concrete pad and a working, hand-operated water pump. A small plaque above the pump recognized benefactors Theodore and Mildred Vosburg.</p><p>Marla Conklin, secretary/treasurer for the township, said Mildred Vosburg donated $500 and sent a letter of thanks for the plaque that initially had her late husband&#8217;s name on it. The township received the letter after she died last month and Rinehimer read it at the dedication. The Vosburg family added to the donation and the new plaque included the names of the husband and wife.</p><p>Construction of the park began in the spring of 2014, Conklin said. &#8220;Little by little we got it together.&#8221; she said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Four-year-old Haley Progansky, left, tries out the new sliding board with her sister Grace Conklin, both of Hobbie, at the Hollenback Township Community Park on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092715ParkDedication_jl_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Four-year-old Haley Progansky, left, tries out the new sliding board with her sister Grace Conklin, both of Hobbie, at the Hollenback Township Community Park on Saturday morning. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092715ParkDedication_jl_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Hollenback Township Community Park builder Gary Moyer, center, takes a stroll around the park with his wife Cathy, left, and mother-in-law Catherine Costa before its dedication on Saturday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092715ParkDedication_jl_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Hollenback Township Community Park builder Gary Moyer, center, takes a stroll around the park with his wife Cathy, left, and mother-in-law Catherine Costa before its dedication on Saturday morning. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092715ParkDedication_jl_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Eighteen-month-old Lily Grace Rinehimer of Hobbie, left, and Gracie Cope, 4, next to her try out the new swings at the Hollenback Township Community Park on Saturday morning . </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092715ParkDedication_jl_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Eighteen-month-old Lily Grace Rinehimer of Hobbie, left, and Gracie Cope, 4, next to her try out the new swings at the Hollenback Township Community Park on Saturday morning . </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092715ParkDedication_jl_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">The new Hollenback Township Community Park along West County Road near Wapwallopen in southwestern Luzerne County. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_TTL092715ParkDedication_jl_4.jpg</photo3><caption3>The new Hollenback Township Community Park along West County Road near Wapwallopen in southwestern Luzerne County. </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLNews</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Hollenback Township has a few hands in building new park