PUEBLO — Some new upgrades are coming to a Pueblo park that used to be contaminated with poisonous materials.
Benedict Park, which is located in the Eilers neighborhood south of downtown, is in the Colorado smelter site area.
The Environmental Protection Agency cleaned up the area after high traces of lead and arsenic were found there.
The park will now be receiving more than $500,000 worth of improvements thanks to a grant from the Colorado Health Foundation. The money will go toward projects including the following:
- improving the basketball court
- redoing the playground area
- making a trail around the park
"...by... redoing the park, renovating it, giving it some life, getting a... we'll call it a fresh coat of paint, it will, I think, bring a lot of activity, a lot of interest, a lot of families getting back out into that park," said Steven Meier with Pueblo Parks and Recreation.
The park renovations are expected to be done by late October.
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