Plan calls for Covered Bridge Park playground upgrades

Upgrades to the playground and parking areas at South Whitehall Township’s Covered Bridge Park will get underway next spring and likely be completed by midsummer.

That’s the vision for the park’s master plan, which calls for upgrades to the slides, swings and other amenities in the play areas for 2- to 5- and 6- to 12-year-olds. The plan was outlined by township staff Wednesday during the Board of Commissioners meeting.

The playground equipment at the 165-acre park on Wehr Mill Road dates to the early 1990s and is badly in need of replacement, said Mike Kukitz, the township’s new parks and recreation manager.

“It’s a little outdated,” he said. New attractions could potentially include 100-foot zip lines and taller towers with lengthier slides, said Kukitz, who added that plans are still in their earliest, conceptual stages.

Plans also include a restroom facility and possibly a fitness area for adults, he said.

A campaign planning committee will be formed to make the public aware of changes at the park and how they can help achieve them.

The committee will likely be made up of six to 12 people who will approach organizations and residents about opportunities to contribute, Kukitz said.

The outreach campaign will kick off in late October and will explain how donors will be recognized and how their money will be spent, Kukitz said.

Funds to be put toward the master plan are already in hand, including a $250,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said Randy Cope, director of township operations.

South Whitehall has also saved open-space money from developers fees from projects throughout the township that can be applied toward the upgrades, he said.

Additional parking is “one of the top priorities of the plan,” said Cope, who explained there isn’t enough for large-scale events like Movies in the Park and holiday tree-lighting gatherings.

“We have people parking on the grass,” he said.

A lot with up to 30 spaces will be built adjacent to the 48-space lot next to Wehr’s Dam, Cope said.

The park has an additional 40 to 50 spaces at the park’s pavilions, he said.

Much of the site work will be conducted in-house in order to keep costs down, Cope said.

Kevin Duffy is a freelance writer for The Morning Call.

MORNING CALL FILE PHOTO Wehr’s Covered Bridge, built in 1841, reflects in the Jordan Creek near Wehr Mill Road as rain begins to fall at the Covered Bridge Park in South Whitehall Township.