COLLINGSWOOD — On a recent visit, a Camden County park here offered an unlikely view from its playground.
An uprooted light pole — snapped at the base, smashed at its top — lay near swing sets and slides at Newton Lake Park. Two benches flanked a picnic table that had no table top.
What appeared to be a bicycle rack was submerged in murky water near the lakeside. An orange traffic cone floated nearby.
And in a picturesque stone lodge, a massive fireplace is filled with bottles and other debris left by partying vandals.
But improvements are coming to this scene off Lakeshore Drive, near Lees Lane and the Haddon Township border.
Camden County in August is launching a $1.3 million project to upgrade this area and the Haddon Creek Playground off Newton Creek Drive near the White Horse Pike.
Milestones ahead:Downtown Camden redevelopment push expected to move forward soon
Both play areas are "well-loved amenities" that draw children and families to the 103-acre park, the county says in a statement.
Each site will get new playground equipment, rubber surfacing, and paths accessible to people with disabilities, the statement says.
New benches and picnic tables are on their way, too.
The project is expected to break ground in August, with completion in about 90 days.
In fact, an upgrade's already taken place at the playground near Lees Lane.
Two days after a reporter's visit on July 16, the topless table was wrapped in caution tape, the lodge's fireplace was debris-free and the shoreline was litter-free.
Newton Lake Park runs from Cuthbert Boulevard in Haddon Township to the White Horse Pike in Collingswood. It also passes through Oaklyn.
The county this month began a $2.5 million upgrade at a playground in Cooper River Park, Pennsauken.
The project, which is to include the addition of fitness areas, was needed due to heavy use of the play area, county officials said.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.
Most Popular
Comments / 0