About Us

The Abington Area Community Park is 100 acres of recreation land and a small lake located on Route 307, aka Winola Road, South Abington Township, next to the Clarks Summit State Hospital. The Park is home to the Abington Youth Soccer League, Abington Soccer Travel League, Abington Community Garden, Abington Senior Center, Abington Area Girls' Softball League, the Radio Controlled Airplane Club and other youth and adult recreation groups. Please click on our links to learn more about our recreation facilities.

History

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The Abington Area Community Park is 100 acres of recreation land managed by the Abington Area Recreation Board (AAJRB). The AAJRB was created in 1972 when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania deeded its land to the Boroughs of Clarks Green and Clarks Summit, and the townships of Abington, Glenburn, and South Abington. Those municipalities created the AAJRB as a Joint Advisory Board, according to PA State Law for Intergovernmental Cooperation, and charged the AAJRB with developing and managing recreation for the Abington region.

Mission Statement

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• Serve the recreation needs of the Abington's.
• 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 four of eight municipalities within the Abington Heights School district are Members, while residents from all municipalities use the facilities).

Site Management

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The Abington Area Community Park is managed by three board members from each of four municipalities. One member must be a municipal elected official while two members are appointed by their respective municipalities as follows:

Partnerships and Community Service

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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 additional 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 has 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.

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.

Funding

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Four municipalities own and finance the development and maintenance of the Abington Area Community Park. Funding is based upon the 2000 US Census population as follows:

• Borough of Clark's Green (1,630)
• Borough of Clark's Summit (5,126)
• Township of Glenburn (1,212)
• Township of South Abington (8,638)

Development Timeline