SUNBURY, Pa. — Until recently, part of North 6th Street in Sunbury was an overgrown mess of trees and plants. The eyesore was a magnet for crime.
In 2018, former Sunbury Mayor Kurt Karlovich had the idea to fix it up. The Sunbury Wetland Ecological Educational Park, or SWEEP, was born.
"Now that we've started this project, the property is being cleaned up, and the complaints of crime have gone down in this general area. It's helped push neighbors to revitalize their own properties as well," Karlovich said.
The project sits on 4.5 acres. Nearly one of those acres is federally projected wetland habitat. When finished, there will be three walking trails, benches, educational signage, and a pavilion.
Phase one of the project, a walking trail, was finished over the summer.
"The rest of the habitat between the three trails will be left to grow in its natural state. We are trying to rid the invasive plant species on this property. That way, we have a natural northeastern Pennsylvania habitat here," Karlovich said.
Earlier this week, the project was given about $260,000 in grant money. Karlovich says he is still looking for donations from businesses and volunteers to help with the project.
If you're interested in helping out with this project, there are a series of volunteer days coming up. The first is on Sunday. September 25.
"If you just want to come out to learn more about the project or if you want to meet the volunteers who have been involved with the project, or just lend a helping hand, there's a lot here for anybody to be able to do," Karlovich said.
The SWEEP project is expected to be finished by the end of next year. For more information, click here.