The Daily Item, Sunbury, PA

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December 5, 2012

Kidsburg likely off limits until February

The Daily Item

LEWISBURG — A project that began Monday to rebuild and reinforce the bank of Limestone Run has shut down the large Kidsburg playground on the southern side of Hufnagle Park, likely until February, a borough official said.

It’s the safety of children during the construction project, not deficiencies with the playground equipment, that prompted the action, said Chad Smith, Lewisburg borough manager.

“The current work has nothing to do with Kidsburg itself,” he said. Rather, excessive damage to the rip rap, or stone, along the stream, also known as Bull Run, during the flood of fall 2011 calls for large stones on the creek bed to be reclaimed and reset.

Large backhoes were on the grounds and at work Tuesday, scooping the heavy rocks from Bull Run while a vacant playground stood in the background. An orange netted safety fence blocks access to the playground.

While the press release said the playground is closed indefinitely, Smith said he expects the work to be done and the playground reopened in February. In the meantime, people are encouraged to use the Lewisburg Area Recreation Park’s playground at St. Mary and North 15th streets.

The streambed work is being done under a grant Lewisburg received to repair the damage caused by Tropical Storm Lee.

“We received enough funding to award the project and have that stone reclaimed, removed and put back,” Smith said. “Given the width of working along the stream and location of Kidsburg, it was closed in the interest of safety until the contractor can get out of the area.”

Once that work is done, the heavy machines will move to a center area, he said.

The rest of Hufnagle Park is open, Smith said.

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