AUSTINTOWN — The playground at Austintown Township Park will have a few more pieces of equipment for children to enjoy within the week.

Construction crews began pouring cement Tuesday and may begin equipment installations as early as today.

Township administrator Mark D’Apolito said the new features include a zip line, handicap-accessible chair swing, a climbing wall, a sensory wall and a conveyor belt table.

In December, township trustees gave D’Apolito the green light to purchase $180,000 worth of new playground equipment from CPSI, a state-approved cooperative purchasing vendor.

D’Apolito said Tuesday that $135,000 to $140,000 of that came from state of Ohio capital budget funds, through a grant from state Sen. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, and state Rep. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield.

The state allocated those funds for Austintown in summer 2021, but the plans for the improvements had to be approved first.

D’Apolito said other support for the project came from the Westchester Fund, a special fund used to support parks and recreation in the township, which is helping to cover some of the ancillary expenses, and from Austintown’s own parks and recreation department.

D’Apolito said the equipment could be installed and ready for use as early as this weekend, or at least by early next week.

He said there will be a formal grand opening event sometime this summer.

“We need to find a time when Sen. Rulli and Rep. Cutrona are available to attend so we can properly thank them for the grant,” he said. “We also still have a pavilion that needs to be fixed up and some grass replanted.”

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