Added safety measures begin at Tarentum spray park, playground

A project to make the Tarentum spray park and playground a safer place began Wednesday.

Thick posts called bollards are being installed inside the park fence along First Avenue. The equipment is an added measure to protect park-goers from potential vehicle crashes.

“We’ve had several incidents over the years where vehicles have run into or through the fencing that currently separates the spray park and playground from the road,” Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf said.

The most recent incident involved a vehicle slamming through the aluminum fence, fortunately on a day when the park was closed.

No one has been reported injured in any of the incidents and the borough wants to keep it that way, officials said.

Thick poles are being filled with concrete and drilled into the ground. The cost of the project is unclear.

“The new bollards are being installed in a way that will physically stop vehicles and provide a much stronger barrier of protection,” Boddorf said.

Tree trimming and new security cameras are also part of the project.

A section of First Avenue will be closed Thursday while crews cut back tree branches, beginning near the marina.