The Park
Hillside Park is a multi-faceted regional recreation facility on 100 acres of former state-owned farmland, at 1188 Winola Road, in South Abington Township.
The park is bordered by the Clarks Summit State Hospital and the Scranton Country Club, and contains the Abington Senior Center and Eston Wilson Lake located on its property.
The park is home to the Abington Youth Soccer League, Abington Travel Soccer, Abington Girls Softball League, Abington Junior Comets Football and Cheerleading the essay club and Abington Pick-Up Soccer.
Sports facilities include 2 softball fields, the grass surface Stroney Soccer Field, and a lighted, synthetic-surface soccer/football field.
Hillside Park contains the Abington Community Garden, the Abington Dog Park, a Lackawanna County Boundless Playground, the lake for public fishing with two handicapped accessible fishing piers, picnic tables, a lighted pavilion and walking trails. Selected trails are paved or planked for inclusive accessibility, and there is an all-accessible rest room building.
The park is managed by the Abington Area Joint Recreation Board (AAJRB) on behalf of 5 funding municipalities with assistance from Lackawanna County, state and foundation grants and private donations.
Mission Statement
Serve the recreation needs of the Abington Area.
Develop and maintain for recreation 100-acre parcel bisected by Route 307 (Winola Road) in South Abington Township.
Acquire government funds for capital projects beyond the means of member municipalities.
Encourage non-member municipalities to participate in developing, maintaining, and funding these recreation facilities (only five of eight municipalities within the Abington Heights School district are Members, while residents from all municipalities use the facilities).
Organization
The Abington Area Community Park is managed by three board members from each of the five municipalities, and one appointee of the Abington Heights School District. The current board follows:
Abington Heights School District: Michele Tierney, AH School Board Member
Clark’s Green Borough: MJ Igeo, Bill Risse, Sara Cremer
Clark’s Summit: Josh Mitchell, Greg Kozar, Jane Burns
Glenburn: Tim McCoy, Jim Davis, Dina Manci
South Abington: Carolyn Crowley, Jim Kane, Mark Spatz, P.E.
Waverly: Eric Perry, Abby Peck, Rob Saunders, C.P.A.
Partnerships and Community Service
Abington Youth Soccer League contributed funds for the construction of Jack Stroney Soccer Field and has volunteered additional resources and numerous hours in the maintenance and enhancement of the Park from 1987 to present.
Abington Area Girls’ Softball League contributed funds for the electric Scoreboard on Softball Field A and has volunteered numerous hours in the maintenance and enhancement of the Park from 1987 to present.
Women&’s Club of the Abingtons has contributed funds for the fencing around the Jack Stroney Soccer Field in 2000.
PA Representative Frank Serafini’s office secured funds for the improvement for the two softball fields in 1991.
PA Senator Bob Mellow’s office secured funds for the site drainage needs at the International Soccer Field in 1993
Boy Scouts of America Troop 160 contributed volunteer service to sand and apply water repellent material on the 400 foot long parking barrier at the Jack Stroney Soccer Field in 2004. Eagle Scout Candidates have executed individual projects in the park.
Rotary of the Abingtons contributed volunteer services to the tree planting project in 2004.
Friends of Abington Heights Wrestling contributed volunteer services for the construction of trash receptacles in 2004.
Commercial Lawn Care contributed volunteer services to numerous projects in 2004.
Pat Snyder Tree Service contributed volunteer services to the tree maintenance project in 2004.
Fairview State Correctional Institute supplied Community Service Labor to help clear lake shoreline for fishing access in 2004.
Corey Durso Tree Service contributed volunteer service to tree trimming efforts in 2006.
Elk Mountain Ski Resort contributed volunteer services & evergreen trees to the forestry project in 2004.
State Senator Robert Mellow secured State funding for Fishing Pier and Handicapped Access Project in 2006.
State Rep. Jim Wanzsac secured State Funding for Playground Equipment in 2007 and 2008.
Walmart, thru the efforts of Government Relations Manager Jim Davis, donated $5,000 to underwrite park projects in 2007.
More than a dozen individuals and companies came together in early 2008 to match funding secured by State Rep. Wanzsac and pledged by the Lackawanna County Cultural Affairs Office to kick-off the Community Garden Project.
The Scranton Area Foundation and Lackawanna County Government each provided $5,000 grants in 2008 to help start a summer camp project and support the Community Garden project.
Lackawanna County Commissioners Corey O’Brien, Mike Washo and AJ Munchak announced that the County will build a $250,000 Boundless Playground at the Park in 2009. That announcement followed a PA Gaming Commission announcement that the AAJRB has secured a $200,000 grant to upgrade one of the soccer fields and improve playground facilities in the park.
Funding
Five municipalities own and finance the maintenance of Hillside Park. Funding is based upon a per-resident formula, based upon The 2010 US Census population follows:
- Borough of Clark’s Green (1,476)
- Borough of Clark’s Summit (5,116)
- Township of Glenburn (1,246)
- Township of South Abington (9,073)
- Waverly Township (1,743)
The per-resident municipal contribution is about $3.50 per resident per year serving 18, 654 of member municipalities, and open to the general public.