No City Beach for Lock Haven This Summer
LOCK HAVEN – City officials announced at Monday night’s virtual council meeting that both the city beach and city playgrounds will be closed this summer, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Kasey Campbell, Director of Community Life, and City Manager Greg Wilson made the announcement. While green space will be available at the parks, following guidelines, playground equipment will be off limits. They did indicate if and when Lock Haven would go to the state’s “green category,” the playgrounds might be able to open later in the summer. Meanwhile city Little League fields, skate park, basketball and tennis courts will not open until that green phase is announced and there may still be some restrictions on use.
The city beach joins the Mill Hall Community Pool as the second swimming area shut down for the summer. Mill Hall borough council had announced earlier Monday its community park pool will not open.
City council did act to reacquire one park in Lock Haven. Council unanimously approved a resolution requesting that the Keystone Central School District return to the city the Tiger Den playground at 314 W. Bald Eagle Street. The school district will no longer have need for the playground with the closing of the nearby Dickey Elementary School at the end of the current school year.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, three people spoke in favor of the city reacquiring and maintaining the park.
They included Christopher Long, son of city Mayor Joel Long. The younger Long spoke from the playground, backed by numerous playground supporters. He had been a playground user during his years at Dickey School. He said supporters had garnered a petition with better than 1,200 signatures to keep the Tiger Den for community children. He talked of the volunteer effort to bring the playground to fruition better than a decade ago and said it should be kept as a “physical testament to what a community can accomplish.”
Dickey School parent Lou Bernard noted the community effort to build the Tiger Den, said his child loves Dickey School and urged council, “Please don’t let Lock Haven’s children down.” Also speaking was Keystone Central School Board President Bo Miller who called the playground “an asset to the community” and said he would like to see it continue for the children of the community. The school district must pass judgment on the city’s request. There has been no indication the district would not return the park to Lock Haven.
