Scranton, PA – Lackawanna County Commissioners Michael J. Washo, Corey D. O’Brien and A.J. Munchak announce the completion of the county’s first playground designed to serve children of all abilities and needs. The McDade Park Boundless Playground is the first of three that will be built this year in the county – others are in Dunmore and the Abingtons - with more scheduled for next year. Funding is from sources specifically devoted to public recreation.

The centerpiece of the playground is an apparatus full of swings, slides, places to twirl, games to explore and areas to climb. The main structure is surrounded by an outer path that includes elevated sand and water tables. Autistic children have two “quiet” areas designed with them in mind. Slides and swings are accessible to children in wheelchairs. The playground is surrounded by a special rubber safety surface to cushion falls.

“When I saw the playground, I was speechless,” said Debra Boston of Taylor, parent of two wheelchair-bound children. “For 10 years, I’ve been begging for a place like this so my children have a place to play.”

“With this playground, we have established a new benchmark for recreation in Northeastern Pennsylvania,” Commissioners O’Brien and Washo said. “It will allow every child to meet his or her highest potential.”

Fred Leone, CEO of Boundless Playground Inc., which has over 140 Boundless Playgrounds in 28 states and Canada, said Lackawanna County’s decision to construct multiple Boundless Playgrounds puts it at the forefront of the inclusive play movement.

Commissioners Washo and O’Brien believe the addition of the Boundless Playground at McDade Park turns the facility into a true destination spot for families. Besides the playground, the park features a pool, fishing pond, pavilions and picnic tables, and miles of trails that wind through the woods. The Coal Mine Tour and Anthracite Museum are also located on the property.

The Commissioners urge all county residents to stop in at McDade Park and see the joy that comes to the face of a child who, for the first time, can reach the highest height on a playground and then whoosh down on a slide!

Lincoln-Jackson Elementary School student Madison Theobald assists in cutting the ribbon at the new Boundless Playground at McDade Park. >From left: state Rep. Kevin Murphy, Scranton Mayor Christopher Doherty, Lackawanna County Commissioner Michael J. Washo, Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey D. O’Brien, Boundless Playground Inc. CEO Fred Leone, and Lackawanna County Parks and Recreation Director Bill Davis.