Apr 19, 2024 By Karen Mansfield 3 min read

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

East End Park in McDonald is temporarily closed after drug paraphernalia was found there.

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

East End Park in McDonald will be closed indefinitely while officials address increased drug activity.

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

The McDonald Youth Baseball and Softball teams will play elsewhere until East End Park reopens.

Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter

East End Park in McDonald

A McDonald Borough park was closed earlier this week after what officials said was increasing drug activity and a rise in drug paraphernalia disposed of there.

Drug-related needles have been found at the park, including in dugouts at the ball field that serves as a home field to the McDonald Youth Baseball and Softball leagues.

The park also includes a playground and a pavilion.

East End Park will remain closed “until officials deem it safe” to reopen, borough officials said.

A message posted on the McDonald Borough Facebook page stated the safety of park visitors prompted Monday’s closing.

McDonald Police Chief Dennis Althorn said the closing was prompted by needles found by volunteers preparing the ball fields for youth practices after winter. More needles were found over the weekend, he said.

“We don’t want our kids, or anyone else, to get jabbed or injured,” said Althorn. “The drug problem is everywhere, but it’s out of normal to be (finding needles) at dugouts.”

Borough officials and the McDonald Police Department have taken steps to address the problem, including increasing police patrols and installing a security camera and motion detection lights. Locked gates will be added to dugout entrances.

“We strongly urge citizens that see any suspicious activity to immediately dial 911 and report to the McDonald Police Department,” the statement reads, in part.

No one is allowed into the park without the borough’s authorization, and anyone who enters the park will be arrested for trespassing, officials said.

McDonald Mayor Dennis Cooper said the borough has adopted a “safety first” policy, and said the township has been working with the Washington County Drug Task Force to address the issue.

“It’s affecting a lot of communities,” said Althorn.

At a recent Washington County Opioid Overdose Coalition meeting, which included representatives from the University of Pittsburgh’s Program Evaluation & Research Unit (PERU), an organization that collects and analyzes opioid data, statistics were shared showing that McDonald Borough first responders administered 19 of the total 186 total doses of Naloxone that were reported administered from 2019 to 2023, or nearly 10%.

Althorn said the ball games will be moved to a ball field in Midway until the park reopens.

Cooper said the borough is aiming to reopen the park within the next week or two, and that the police department will continue its surveillance and patrols.

“We are taking very seriously all attempts to prevent this from happening again, and want to protect the players, parents and coaches,” said Cooper. “We want to prevent this from happening again, and let’s get back to playing ball.”