Greensburg officials are working with Seton Hill Child Care Services on a situation that apparently has left playground equipment unusable.
Signs on a fence surrounding what is known as the Taylor Street Playground, or 8th Ward Playground, say the equipment there has been “declared unsafe by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.” They warn adults to not let children play on the equipment. It was unclear when the signs were put up.
Greensburg solicitor Zachary Kansler and Seton Hill Child Care Services Executive Director Amber Oakes said the two entities have been working on an agreement to remedy the problem. The property is owned by Seton Hill Child Care Services, which operates a day care facility there.
“The city wants to make sure that the neighborhood has a park that it can use,” Kansler said.
The land was sold to Seton Hill Child Care Services in 1986 by Greensburg Salem School District, according to deed records. The deed requires that part of the land to be maintained as a public playground. While the deed calls for Seton Hill Child Care Services to convey the playground portion to Greensburg, Kansler said that never happened.
In an October 2025 inspection at the Greensburg Early Care and Education Center, the state Department of Human Services reported there were several holes in the playground surface that created tripping hazards, according to records reviewed by TribLive. A follow-up report from Nov. 6 indicated the playground “was caution taped off” and not accessible to children. There was no caution tape seen by a reporter Wednesday.
No issues with the playground were noted during the most recent inspection in February.
“The playground equipment has been cordoned off to prevent any mishaps, but the barriers have been repeatedly removed by unknown individuals,” Oakes said. “Seton Hill Child Services asks playground users to honor the barriers, for the safety of the children, and exercise patience and caution until the correction is made.”
Greensburg doesn’t own any improvements on the property and has no lease to operate the park or playground, city administrator Kelsye Hantz said.
She and Kansler said they hope to bring the matter before city council during a May meeting.
On Wednesday, there were signs on the playground equipment that indicated it was closed. There were no swings hanging from a swing set. The land is along Belmont Avenue and Turney and King streets.
Resident Amanda Vesely said she contacted city officials about a year ago after noticing issues with the playground. There aren’t any other recreational options or green spaces in that neighborhood, she said.
“I’ve been going to this playground my entire childhood,” she said.
Her children and others in the neighborhood would flock there after school, but a year or so ago, the swings were taken down and it appeared no one was maintaining it.
“I would like proper maintenance, I would like to see the basketball court redone and the hoops put back up,” she said. “I would like the swings put back up.”
