Coplay residents were all agog as Councilman Stephen Burker made a formal announcement Jan. 21 of a $200,000 grant the borough received from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to improve the playing fields at Saylor Park.

“We don’t normally see a grant this big going to a small community like ours,” Burker said.

The borough has been eyeing improvements to the park for at least a decade. The 1960s-vintage park has deteriorated and no longer meets the needs of residents.

“We put together several looks at how we could improve this park, but it always involved more money than we had available,” Burker said.

He went to state Rep. Daniel McNeill, D-133rd, and asked for assistance.

The borough’s first run at the grant happened in 2014.

“We missed a lot of points on how to apply for the grant, but Dan (McNeill) and his staff helped us put together a better package,” Burker said.

The borough missed again on its second try.

“We kept at it,” Burker said. “One of the things that helped was a rendering that Dan Witczak did for us. It was a good picture of what we wanted to do. This was a computer model; the other was a regular hand-drafted plan.”

Scott Cope was the borough’s grant writer and stuck with the process.

“He was getting burned out at the third go-round, but he stayed with us,” Burker added.

In 2016, the borough applied again for the grant with a vastly improved application. This time, DCNR let the money flow.

“Lorne Possinger (DCNR recreation and conservation manager) came down and checked out our application,” Burker said.

The grant has been awarded, but the community still has work to do.

“We need to provide matching funds to get this thing moving forward, but we now have the incentive to get this done,” Burker said.

He and council credit McNeill for pushing the package.

“Dan McNeill and (state Sen.) Lisa Boscola (D-18th), and their staffs, worked tirelessly to get Coplay considered for this grant. Everyone told us we couldn’t get it, but they kept working their contacts in Harrisburg,” he said.

Councilman Charles Sodl worked with Burker on the package.

“This is something that must be done for the borough. We need a safe playground for our kids to play,” he said.

The existing park is deteriorated. Cracks in the tennis courts make them impractical to use, and the baseball diamond is not up to the minimum standards one would expect.

“We can turn this into a showcase for our community from the park we have now,” Sodl said.

McNeill was equally pleased.

“Coplay has given me much support, and it is great that I can do something helpful for the community,” he said. “I worked closely with Sen. Boscola to get this passed. The borough learned what needed to be done during their first application.”

The rendering of the new park was prepared by Acela Engineering Company, the borough’s engineering company.

“We have a good package and plan that can bring new life to Saylor Park and complement the other things we are doing in the area,” said Witczak, who will manage the project for Acela. Witczak added innovative features to the park.

“Rather than have a swale in the park for stormwater control, we added rain gardens that capture the runoff. The trail around the park is ADA compliant and winds around to connect to the [Ironton Rail Trail],” he said.

“I can’t be more proud of this town and what we accomplished with this park. It was a combined effort. We are delivering on our promise to make Coplay a better place to live. It’s great to have so many of the residents backing our efforts,” Mayor Dean Molitoris said.