MANCHESTER – Congratulations to Public Works Director Al Yodakis and his talented crew for the recent First Place: Municipal Management Projects Class A award they received in recognition of their Summit Park Playground reconstruction!
Joining Director Yodakis at the Awards Luncheon on November 14 were Donna Markulic, Business Administrator; Jim Mohn, General Foreman; Daniel Dries, Supervisor DPW; Mayor Kenneth Palmer; James Gant, Assistant Business Administrator; and Joe Veni, Supervising Engineer. Just last year Director Yodakis was awarded First Place honors for the 6th Avenue Park project, so we are extremely proud of him and his crew for their exceptional service to our residents!
The rehabilitation of the Summit Park Recreation Facility is the capstone to the revitalization of the neighborhood as a whole, following a resurgence of community involvement over the past few years. Mayor Palmer set a goal to rehabilitate a Township park each year, beginning with the award-winning Sixth Avenue Park project in 2016, and now Summit Park.
“Our vision was to create a theme for the park to help connect it to the rest of the neighborhood,” said Public Works Director Yodakis. “This was accomplished by working with our playground supplier to create a ‘Summit’ mountain themed playground at the top of the small hill at the park.”
Additional improvements include the construction of a matching pavilion between the playground and courts where families may congregate; the reconstruction of basketball and tennis courts that are painted in the Manchester Township High School colors to help foster township pride; and the finishing of the playground with a rubber safety surface that is an aesthetic improvement, provides handicap accessibility, and is a long term financial benefit when compared to the previously used woodchips.
