Minersville officials recently approved using $10,000 of the money it’s gotten in off-road driving permits to fix up borough playgrounds.
Borough Council members unanimously agreed last week to take that chunk of cash Minersville has received and put it toward maintaining the playgrounds.
The idea was first brought up by Mayor Sean Palmer, who initially urged council members to allow off-road driving enthusiasts onto borough streets as a means of boosting tourism and to benefit local businesses.
Palmer tells The Canary that in 2023, Minersville collected about $13,000 in revenue from permits issued to off-road riders taking advantage of this offer.
The idea of allowing off-road riders onto borough streets first started as a pilot program with limited times that ATVs and other off-road vehicles would be permitted onto Minersville’s roads.
Palmer said he hopes the money could be used toward smaller projects at borough playgrounds to “make them look nicer right now. The money could pay for things like fresh coats of paint, benches, and new chains on swings.
Councilman Jeff Enders said a “punch list” of quick fixes at various playgrounds wouldn’t cost $2,500.
Council President Ian Mahal suggested that some of the money could also be used as matching funds for grants that could help Minersville look at bigger recreation projects, too.
“Thank you,” Mahal said to Palmer. “These were funds that weren’t here a few years ago.”
Right now, the plan is to make this an annual use of the off-road revenue the borough collects.
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