Volunteers worked this month to spruce up amenities at Level Green Community Park after township leaders say it was vandalized this winter.

According to Penn Township Commissioner Larry Harrison, vandals between late last year and early this year spraypainted graffiti on several park structures, broke a fiberglass slide on the playground and removed permanent base placements from the two baseball fields at the park. Harrison noted that police are investigating the incident.

“We try to take a little pride in the Level Green area and in our community,” Harrison said. “That certainly did not live up to, as the park appeared, did not live up to our expectations.”

Nineteen volunteers from the Level Green Area Women’s Club and the Level Green Lions Club spent almost four hours at the Cypress Court park on May 15, working to paint over graffiti while repainting structures in need of a fresh coat.

In all, they used 14 gallons of paint on a storage building, concession stand, a double set of bleachers and five park benches.

“There was a good effort made on behalf of volunteers to make the place much more presentable,” Harrison said.

Money for the paint and supplies was provided by the Penn Township Recreation Board, which oversees the park.

There is currently no money in the budget to replace the slide, which could cost around $12,000, said Harrison, who is also president of the recreation board. Harrison noted the slide is often used by students from the neighboring Level Green Elementary School.

The slide is now closed off as a safety precaution.

“Those added costs we did not anticipate, they came after the budget was passed. … We got hit by a couple surprises here,” Harrison said.

He noted the township does not plan for the baseball fields to be used for their original purpose moving forward, meaning people can use them to play Frisbee or for other games. The fields previously were used by the Trafford Level Green Athletic Association, Harrison said.

Harrison noted there are still a few structures that need to be painted, but praised the volunteers for the work they were able to complete.

“I think the people involved were proud of what they accomplished and, hopefully, the improved appearance will maybe, shall we say, cause those who would want to put more graffiti out there to think twice about doing that,” he said.

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