Residents provide input on vision for Nay Aug Park

Feb. 1—SCRANTON — Residents placed stickers on poster boards Wednesday expressing the extent to which they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements about Nay Aug Park.

The vast majority at least somewhat agreed, and many strongly, that they feel responsible for the park, feel like they belong there and that Nay Aug is a comfortable place to be. Other statements — including "there are amenities at this park for me" and "this park reflects the needs of my community" — received more varied responses.

The exercise played out inside the park's community room, where residents called for a new Nay Aug pool complex, more park restrooms, improved playgrounds and other investments. More than 30 people attended the Hill Neighborhood Association meeting, led by the nonprofit Valley in Motion, on the future of the park.

Valley in Motion sought feedback on park access and sense of belonging as part of Scranton's participation in the "10-Minute Walk Park Equity Accelerator" program, an initiative of the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, which is supporting a cohort of cities with "funding and expertise to address long-standing barriers to outdoor equity."

Many of Wednesday's participants noted their deep personal connections to Nay Aug and proffered suggestions for improvement. Parkgoer Norma Jeffries said she often cleans up disposable coffee cups and other litter there — a challenge several attendees mentioned.

"That's why I do it, because I consider this as part of my home, my backyard," Jeffries said of Nay Aug.

A number of residents, including former Scranton Mayor Jim Connors, said the park needs a new pool. Connors' call for a pool — "not a splash pad" — elicited applause.

When and how to revive the park's defunct pool complex has been a source of debate among officials and residents for several years. Both pools at the former complex that last hosted swimmers in 2019 have been demolished and filled. Contractors for the city razed the water slides there in October.

Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti's administration wants to pursue a comprehensive master plan for Nay Aug Park, including the pool site. But Cognetti noted in a January memo that a large Nay Aug pool project "is out of range" for the city's current financial picture, and that borrowing for such a project isn't currently in Scranton's best interest.

"Our plan is to allocate funds and seek grants that will enable a master plan process, to be completed on the advice of the (state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources)," Cognetti wrote." A master plan will evaluate the park's open space areas, recreation facilities, natural features, trails, potential pool complex and possible new amenities."

Resident Ryan Hnat said Wednesday he doesn't necessarily agree Nay Aug needs a new pool, noting the cost of building and maintaining the amenity would be borne by taxpayers.

Another resident, former Lackawanna County Parks and Recreation Director Bill Davis, said he thinks a pool "is crucial to a park like this."

"Parks are living, breathing places, and everybody has different needs and uses of the park," he said. "The pool is one aspect of that."

Valley in Motion will facilitate similar sessions concerning other city parks over the coming months, said Gus Fahey, the nonprofit's president. He led the feedback-gathering session Wednesday.

"We'll take this all back to the Trust for Public Land, and then in the spring they'll make recommendations about what the city should be doing and ... hopefully (provide) some startup money to implement the beginning of those recommendations," Fahey said.

Contact the writer: jhorvath@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9141; @jhorvathTT on Twitter.