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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The city&#8217;s more than two dozen parks and playgrounds are getting a close look for broken and damaged equipment as part of an effort by Mayor Tony George to improve the public spaces.</p><p>In a press release Tuesday, the mayor said he&#8217;s asked city personnel to do an analysis of the recreational areas and already it&#8217;s evident many need major upgrades.</p><p>&#8220;Parks such as Weissman (on Scott Street) have not seen major improvements since 1997,&#8221; George said.</p><p>The mayor said he&#8217;s instructed city staff to remove or repair unsafe play equipment to guarantee public safety.</p><p>City Administrator Ted Wampole said the condition of the grounds is included in the analysis.</p><p>&#8220;We have to make sure that they&#8217;re safe,&#8221; Wampole added.</p><p>This year, the city budgeted $855,487 for Parks and Recreation. The Hollenback Golf Course makes up 28 percent, or $242,152, of the total.</p><p>The mayor said other funding alternatives &#8220;are being reviewed to upgrade the facilities to assure that the recreational needs of the public are being met and safety concerns are being addressed.&#8221;</p><p>Wampole identified the Office of Community Development budget as a possible source.</p><p>Companies and groups have helped out in the past by cleaning up and refurbishing parks and playgrounds, and they&#8217;re welcome again this year, said Wampole.</p><p>&#8220;We will always direct them to the parks,&#8221; he said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Weissman Park on Scott Street in Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s East End hasn&#8217;t had major upgrades in 20 years and is part of an ongoing citywide improvement of public spaces by Mayor Tony George and his administration. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/web1_TTL030817WBPark-2.jpg</photo0><caption0>Weissman Park on Scott Street in Wilkes-Barre&#8217;s East End hasn&#8217;t had major upgrades in 20 years and is part of an ongoing citywide improvement of public spaces by Mayor Tony George and his administration. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>Online</strong></p><p>For a list of the parks and playgrounds in Wilkes-Barre visit <a href="http://wilkes-barre.city/parks" target="_blank">http://wilkes-barre.city/parks</a></p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p><ins>For other local news stories, <a href="https://www.timesleader.com/category/local" target="_blank">click here</a>.</ins></p><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Parks and playgrounds in Wilkes-Barre to undergo safety improvements