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The Natrona community playground looks out of place among the faded awnings and grime-caked siding on houses lining River Avenue.

But its brilliant colors and abstract shapes represent a new optimism sweeping Natrona.

With a $142,500 federal grant obtained with the help of Rep. Jason Altmire, Natrona Comes Together has enough money to complete the playground that has been its centerpiece project.

The money will go toward completing the pavilion, building a concession stand and horseshoe courts, providing staffing, finishing landscaping and various details.

The playground, which has a total price tag of about $565,000, will include handicapped-accessible restrooms.

On Friday morning, Altmire toured the playground, which is expected to open next month.

Altmire said the playground's addition was crucial to attracting and retaining young families in a neighborhood that skews older.

"Young people don't feel like they're part of the community if there isn't anything for them to do," he said. "There's no better investment for young people than a great playground like this."

Bill Godfrey, the founder and president of Natrona Comes Together, hopes the playground will give Natrona's youths a positive place in which to focus their energy.

Harrison Commissioner Mike Stanoski credited the group's efforts in attracting government financial help, which has come from the township, Allegheny County, the state and federal government.

Among its own fundraising efforts was a Christmas musical show.

"This is a well-organized group here," Stanoski said. "They've got everyone's attention and a lot of support. This playground is something people of all ages will be able to enjoy."

Natrona resident Patty Babinsack said the amount of time Natrona Comes Together volunteers have put into improving the neighborhood has been even more important than the money the group has raised through various sources, because that time is irreplaceable.

"The whole town has been rallying around their efforts, and this playground is the best place to see it," she said.

Frank McCurdy, a Natrona Heights architect, designed the glass block wall of the band shell, which will be integrated with fiber-optic wires to create light shows.

"We want to retain industrial design characteristics here," he said. "We don't want to lose what makes us."

Godfrey said artists are scheduled to cover decorative pillars with ceramic tiles that tell the story of Natrona.

The mural will include tiles that represent the American Indians, the European ethnic groups that followed and the town's industrial heritage, which included Penn Salt and today's Allegheny Ludlum. There will be a tribute to police, firefighters and those in the military.

Lifelong resident Sylvia Begolly was excited that former Natrona residents and outsiders, including McCurdy, who attended St. Joseph High School when it was in Natrona, are contributing to the area's resurgence.

"The houses are cheap here and good for fixing up," she said. "Before long, people are going to be running to move back to Natrona."

Children are already running for the plastic jungle gyms waiting behind the fence, which are closed off for a few more weeks.

"Children have been asking me when they can come in," Godfrey said. "When I tell them not yet, I usually see some tears. I've seen impromptu basketball hoops popping up all over the neighborhood, so I know the older kids are excited, too."

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