Plans fall through for new playground at Shalercrest Apartment Complex

A playground that was planned for construction this summer at the historical Shalercrest Apartment Complex is now most likely moving to Greenville, Mercer County, about an hour-and-a-half away.

Andrew Weckman, the project’s developer, said the plans fell through because the homeowners association’s insurance company for the 251-apartment complex determined the playground would be a liability issue.

The new and improved playground, featuring basketball hoops, benches, slides, climbing structures and spinning, merry-go-round-type devices with seats was supposed to be built earlier this summer, Weckman said.

For now, the property that would have housed the new playground sits vacant. It used to host a wooden playground years ago, but that was demolished. A small, metallic playground took its place for a few years before it, too, was demolished a couple of weeks ago, Weckman said.

Weckman, 32, of Shaler said he has been receiving calls recently after the small playground was taken down.

“I’ve had to turn down donations,” Weckman said. “I’ve just been getting calls and emails about when is it starting?”

The bulk of the playground’s price tag would have been covered with a state grant. When Weckman found out the insurance company wouldn’t cover potential claims, he began searching for other properties to locate it on.

Greenville Borough is most likely where it will end up instead, Weckman said.

Weckman is CEO of the Weckman Initiative: American Division, a nonprofit aimed at educational advancement, which was spearheading the project. The reality hits Weckman deep because he has fond memories of visiting the Shalercrest complex’s park as a child.

“There’s just shock and disappointment altogether. They let me go a whole year before shutting it down,” he said, adding he had gotten a letter of intent to build it and had renderings made. The Shalercrest Housing Association shareholders had unanimously voted in favor of Weckman’s proposal in October.

The apartment buildings were built as a federal defense housing project for government employees and soldiers during World War II, according to a web page dedicated to the playground project on Weckman’s website.

Weckman did not have a timeline for when the park would be built in Greenville.