Community

Hillside Slides Coming to East End Playground in Moundsville

More recreational improvements in the form of hillside sides are coming to the East End Playground in the city of Moundsville.

The city recently purchased new hillside slides from AAA State of Play of Indiana that will be installed on a hill at the park likely by the end of May, said City Manager Rick Healy.

A portion of funding for the project, $10,000, was made possible by Delegate Charlie Reynolds, R-Marshall. Healy said the city covered the remaining cost, which was about another $10,000.

There will be two slides installed on the hill with about 10 feet between them.

The city is still deciding whether to install steps or another climbing apparatus to allow the children to reach the top of the slides.

Doing so should help prevent the hillside from becoming muddy, he said.

Healy said city officials had been looking at new options for recreation at the park, which is located beside the Four Seasons Pool, and came across the hillside slides in a brochure.

"We thought it was a great idea to add them to the playground," he said. "We have to do a little excavating and a little more engineering work before we can put them in."

Healy said the city is always striving to improve its playgrounds and parks and provide more equipment and recreation opportunities for the families and children who live there. He believes improving the recreational areas can also attract possible new residents to the city.

"We're constantly driving to find stuff that other people don't have, that you don't see around here," he said.

Healy believes the hillside slides will be a first for the region.

"We feel like it's a great addition. It's something you don't see elsewhere," he said.