New Beginnings at Hoberman Park: Lock Haven Unveils New Kid-Designed Playground Despite Rainy Weekend
By Emily Wright
LOCK HAVEN—The highly anticipated, kid-designed, and community-built playground at Hoberman Park in Lock Haven was celebrated Saturday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Between Thursday, August 1, and leading up to the ribbon-cutting, volunteers worked to build the new state-of-the-art playground. Volunteers from the community, the City of Lock Haven, the PA Municipal League, DCNR, and the nonprofit KABOOM! worked together on the initiative, which promotes playspace equity.
City Mayor Joel Long, members of the Lock Haven City Council, Executive Director of the PA Municipal League John Brenner, and City Planner Abbey Roberts were present to help wrap up the project and attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony despite the less than desirable weather for constructing a playground.
For now, the playground remains closed off until further notice because a rubber surface still needs to be installed underneath the equipment, and that part of the project is weather-contingent. The official opening is to be announced.
City Planner Abbey Roberts worked with the Lock Haven City Council to bring the national non-profit KABOOM! to town to help with the project. The KABOOM! organization works to ensure that every child has access to quality play areas. Since 1996, KABOOM! has built or improved over 17,000 play spaces by teaming up with children and communities. The organization has since benefitted nearly 12 million kids through its work.
In 2022, KABOOM! launched the “25 in 5” initiative, which aims to tackle playspace inequity in 25 high-priority locations over the course of five years. The mission is to ensure that children in underserved communities have access to safe, engaging play areas where they can experience the numerous physical, social, and mental health benefits of play.
The Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML) also played a key role in the project. PML strengthens and empowers local governments by providing advocacy, education, and support. Founded in 1900, it is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group that originally focused on Pennsylvania’s 3rd class cities. Today, it represents cities, boroughs, townships, and other communities across Pennsylvania with shared government policy interests. The League’s Board of Directors oversees a wide range of services, including legislative advocacy, publications, training programs, consulting-based programs, and group insurance trusts.
A coalition of local sponsors, including First Quality, Highmark, and the Sons and Daughters of Italy, bolstered the initiative, highlighting the community’s collective dedication to the well-being of its children.
