About Us

The Abington Area Community Park is a work-in-progress on 100 acres of former farm land containing a small lake located on PA Route 307, or Winola Road, in South Abington Township. The park is bordered by the Clarks Summit State Hospital and the Scranton Country Club, and contains the Abington Senior Center on its property.

 The recreation area is home to the Abington Youth Soccer League, Abington Soccer Travel League, Abington Community Garden, Abington Area Girls' Softball League, and other youth and adult recreation groups and activities.

The lake is open for public fishing, and there are two handicapped accessible fishing pier. Picnic tables and walking trails surround the lake as well. 

 History

The Abington Area Community Park is managed by the Abington Area Joint Recreation Board (AAJRB). The AAJRB was created in 1972 when the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania deeded surplus 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. Abington Township later withdrew from the project. See the ordinances and agreements that created the AAJRB here.

Mission Statement

• Serve the recreation needs of the Abington Area.
• 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, and one appointee of the Abington Heights School District. Historically one municipal member has been an elected official while two private residents are appointed from their respective municipalities. The current board follows:

Partnerships and Community Service

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 site 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 have 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 and 2008.

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.

The Scranton Area Foundation and Lackawanna County Government each provided $5,000 grants in 2008 to help start a summer camp project and support the Community Garden project.

Lackawanna County Commissioners Corey O'Brien, Mike Washo and AJ Munchak announced that the County will build a $250,000 Boundless Playground at the Park in 2009. That announcement followed a PA Gaming Commission announcement that the AAJRB has secured a $200,000 grant to upgrade one of the soccer fields and improve playground facilities in the park.

Funding

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Four municipalities own and finance the development and maintenance of the Abington Area Community Park. Funding is based upon a per-resident formula, 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)

The per-resident municipal contribution is less than $3 per resident per year.

Development Timeline