A popular place for seniors in the Abingtons will get extensive improvements this summer.
The Abington Area Joint Recreation Board is planning capital improvement projects to the Hillside Park Community Center, which it operates. They include replacing the sliding glass doors at the center’s entrance, adding a button to open a second set of doors at the entrance, repairing the existing sewer line, adding a new exhaust pipe to one of the boilers, adding new insulation to the water pipes and replacing a set of windows in a meeting room. Outside, officials plan to repoint the outside brick, put in a new ceiling over the outside patio, add a new liner on the building’s gutters, repair the patio brick, add picnic tables to the patio and install new lighting around the parking lot.
Over time, the issues have added up and affected the building’s day-to-day operations, according to officials. The sewer line has backed up multiple times, resulting in the bathrooms overflowing, they said. While the main entrance doors open, having a button to automatically open the second set is easier for seniors who use walkers and wheelchairs for mobility. The old pipe insulation causes them to drip water onto the ceiling tiles, discoloring them.
Amanda Buchko, the program coordinator at the center, said the heating issues in the building mean one side is colder, even during the winter months. She has had to rely on electric heaters to keep the building warm. In addition, she said the automatic doors don’t always open when needed.
Mark Spatz, the board’s co-chairman and treasurer, described the upgrades as replacing equipment that is nearing the end of its life. He said the work is the most extensive and costliest the board has undertaken at the nearly 7,000-square-foot senior center, located on Winola Road in South Abington Twp. Before this year’s improvements, the most expensive project the board undertook was repaving the parking lot last year, which cost $97,000, financed by Community Development Block Grant funds.
The entire project is expected to cost $220,000, with Clarks Summit contributing $120,000 in CDBG funds, administered by Lackawanna County, for the project last year. Spatz plans to meet with the borough to get more funds to cover the remaining cost of the project. He estimates it will cost between $25,000 and $30,000 to replace the doors, $30,000 to fix the sewer problems and $20,000 for new lighting.
Highland Associates of Clarks Summit is the project’s engineer.
Instructor Rick Schmoyer teaches a Tai Chi class at the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
The bottom of the front door is damaged at the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
United Neighborhood Centers Senior Center Program Coordinator Amanda Buchko discusses sections of the patio that are in need of restoration at the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
United Neighborhood Centers Senior Center Program Coordinator Amanda Buchko discusses sections of the patio that are in need of restoration at the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Ceiling panels are damaged at the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
United Neighborhood Centers Senior Center Program Coordinator Amanda Buchko points out items that need improvement in the interior of the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Bricks on the patio appear to overgrown with weeds at the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
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Instructor Rick Schmoyer teaches a Tai Chi class at the Hillside Senior Center in South Abington Twp. Thursday, May 21, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Spatz said the issues with the building have crept up at various points over the years. County and state officials approved the board’s request to use the funds for the project last year.
The building, built in 1994, is owned by the Abingtons municipalities of Clarks Summit, Clarks Green, South Abington Twp., Glenburn Twp. and Waverly Twp., and overseen by the Abington Area Joint Recreation Board. The board leases it to the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging for daytime use. United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania runs programs in the building for the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging.
Sarah Bodnar, UNC’s director of community health and aging, said between 60 and 70 seniors come to the center every day for activities or lunch. In the past year, she said about 125 people have come to a program there for the first time, which averages around 30 new people a month. Fitness classes and social groups, some of which were started by seniors, are the most popular activities.
The upgrades are essential for keeping the center functioning and attractive for seniors, Bodnar said, adding the outdoor improvements are a wonderful opportunity to enhance outdoor activities.
“We want people to feel welcome, comfortable and safe, and so I think all of these upgrades will promote those three things,” Bodnar said.
Bids for construction, plumbing and electrical work will be accepted by the Lackawanna County controller’s office until May 28. Spatz expects work to start in the middle of next month. The center will remain open, and Buchko said they will work with the contractors to ensure daily operations aren’t disrupted.
Spatz said having an improved facility will make it better for the seniors, some of whom use it regularly.
“Many of them are there on a daily basis as a part of their routine,” he said. “It’s their kind of home away from home, to get out and about and exercise, socialize, enjoy arts and crafts, enjoy gaming, and obviously enjoy lunch, which is provided by the county as well as a part of the senior program. That’s our goal, to enrich the facility, enrich the seniors that use it.”