Once it was, to quote Whitehall’s Neighborhood Parks Master Plan, the “worst-looking park” in the borough.
Following a facelift that saw Overlook Park closed for most of 2024, Borough Manager Courtney Wertz can provide this description:
“It turned out beautifully.”
With new playground equipment stationed atop the safety of a poured-in-place rubber surface, a rebuilt concessions building and a refurbished baseball field on the way, the park has a second life as a convenient recreational space for residents of the neighborhood to the north of Baptist Road near the Bethel Park line.
“We’re seeing people retire and moving on, so we have a lot of young families in that area,” Wertz said. “Plus, Our Lady of Hope Parish’s St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Church is just across the street from one of the park’s secondary entrances.”
The main entrance is off Fieldcrest Drive, and sets of steps connect the park to Orchard Hill and Spring Valley drives. Orchard Hill’s staircase was replaced in the first phase of the Overlook renovation project, and Spring Valley’s is nearing completion as Phase Two.
Federal American Rescue Plan Act money for covid response and recovery pretty much made the project possible, according to Wertz.
“The decision was made, well, let’s take this lump sum that no one was ever anticipating and put it toward Overlook,” she said.
In 2023, borough council awarded four contracts for the project, totaling just under $1.6 million, and made the decision to include the poured-in-place surface, created by mixing rubber granules with a binder on site and pouring them over a prepared base for a smooth, seamless and safe covering.
The feature represents a first for borough playgrounds.
“A lot of parents travel. They go to other municipalities, to ‘destination’ parks,’ and it’s a feature that they liked and wanted to see in Whitehall,” Wertz said. “We’ve received really positive feedback on it, so it’s certainly something to take into consideration for future renovations.”
Overlook’s playground set, which the borough purchased through a grant from equipment manufacturing company GameTime, includes equipment that is accessible to children of all abilities.
Efforts to upgrade Whitehall’s neighborhood parks started in earnest 10 years ago with the formation of an ad hoc planning committee, led by council member Kathleen DePuy and including Mayor James Nowalk.
“The thought at the time was that a lot of our parks had been acquired and built at the founding of Whitehall, and unfortunately they were all falling apart at the same time,” Wertz said. “So the thought was, we need to have a plan.”
A grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, under the administration of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, helped finance the Neighborhood Parks Master Plan. Adopted by council in December 2019, following a process that featured plenty of opportunities for public input, the plan includes an overview and site analysis of each active park – Frank, Highland, Overlook, Prospect, Snyder and Union – along with intentions for future improvements.
In October, the improved Overlook Park hosted a “really well-attended” grand reopening, according to Wertz.
“We cut the ribbon early because there was so much excitement,” she said. “The kids wanted to get on and play.”
Whitehall’s parks host a six-week summer program, starting shortly after the Baldwin-Whitehall School District academic year concludes. Registration information will be available April 1 at whitehallboro.org.