Father Marinaro Park is set to get a face-lift this summer, as Butler City Council approved bids for improvements there totaling $388,000 at itsThursday, May 29, meeting.

The bids were awarded to Hiles Excavating LLC at a base bid cost of about $353,000 and an add-on of about $35,000. The bids came in much higher than the expected cost of $150,000, but the city is able to cover it with the wiggle room left in the long range plan for the Butler Area Sewer Authority sale funds.

“When bids were opened, it was considerably more than we anticipated, but we were smart about a couple of things,” Mayor Bob Dandoy said. “In the long-range plan, we had some padding in there, so we were able to accommodate the dramatic increase in price.”

Council said the planned improvements for the park include a new sidewalk, new shelter and resurfacing the basketball court, among other upgrades.

Improvements to Father Marinaro Park have been a topic of conversation over the last few years. In 2023, the city used funds from the Community Development Block Grant/CARES Act program to add additional Americans with Disabilities Act compliant parking.

Then, in October, the city received a $100,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. It was a matching grant, meaning the city also needed to contribute $100,000.

Now that the plans for the BASA sale funds have settled and the city is certain it can afford it, council decided to move forward with the upgrades.

Councilman Daniel Herr, who serves as the city’s director of parks/recreation and public property, said he received five bids on the park. Ultimately, Hiles Excavating was chosen both for being the lowest bid and due to a recommendation from the county.

While no set timeline was available, Herr said work is expected to begin “very soon,” with a projected end in September or October.

Ralph Pincek, who lives just two doors away from the park on Lincoln Avenue, has been an advocate for park upgrades over the last years. While he was glad to hear that the city plans to do something, he said he needs hard proof before he can be truly grateful.

“I lost so much sleep over (Father Marinaro Park), I had to give up,” Pincek said.

He said the parks department rarely, if ever, checks up on the park. Recently, he said a wooden bench from the skate park was destroyed, and he said nobody has been by to clean up the mess left behind.

Despite his continued concern, Pincek said he is hopeful the city will follow through with its upgrade plans, and suggested the city focus on upgrading the skate park as well.

“It’s been getting a lot of use recently,” Pincek said. “Ever since the weather got nice, kids are out there all the time.”

At Thursday’s meeting, Dandoy said he has had preliminary conversations about fixing up the skate park, but nothing concrete is available yet. He said he hopes to support the South Side neighborhood alongside the rest of Butler through upgrades such as this.

Herr said the upgrades are not expected to affect the operations of the park over the summer.