A group of Lansford residents came together this summer to repair and liven up a dilapidated park bench area at the intersection of Abbott and Leisenring streets.

Decades ago, the spot at the intersection had a flagpole and two benches. The area fell into disrepair when both of the benches broke and were taken away by the Lansford Borough. The flagpole began to rust and fall over.What was once an American flag that hung on it eventually turned into a few shreds of fabric after repeatedly catching on the nearby tree.The alcove that the area sits in at the bottom of a hill became filled in with mounds of dirt. Years of rainfall running down the hill carried the dirt from the woods and left it to pile up where the benches once were.On days when there was heavy rain, the dirt would wash onto the street, forcing residents living nearby to shovel the dirt back into the alcove.One day in the beginning of June, people living on Abbott Street all seemed to have the same idea and began to fix up the little bench area together without any prior planning."People just came together that day and decided to fix it. We got sick of no one taking care of it, so we took up the job ourselves," Andy Porambo said.Ten neighbors worked from June until the end of July to make the bench area a nice place to be again. The dirt was shoveled out first, followed by removing the old flagpole and the tree that ruined the flag. One neighbor donated two aluminum pipes to form the new flagpole, and two others donated rope and a flag.Porambo's grandmother happened to have two bench ends, which were used along with wood given by another neighbor to form a new bench. Flowers were also planted around the flagpole. Porambo, 27, took it upon himself to build the rock wall that covers the perimeter of the area."I brought rocks down from the woods and made the rock wall with them. It took about three days," he said.The only money that was spent on the project was for the flagpole cleats.When they saw the community project taking place, members of Panther Valley Lumber decided to donate gravel to lay on the ground.There are still a few finishing touches that the neighbors want to do on the area.The bench is going to be painted green like the one that stood in its place years ago. The nearby fire hydrant will also receive a new coat of green paint.Panther Valley Lumber is expected to donate another coat of gravel as well.The alcove at the intersection is seen as a symbol of community pride for those who helped to fix it. People coming through the neighborhood have been seen stopping by and taking a look at the new and improved bench area."The other day, I came out here at 5 in the morning and saw a veteran saluting the flag. I thought that was awesome," Abbott Street resident Angel Cain said.There is hope among those that contributed to the project that others in Lansford will try to do the same, and create their own positive change in the town instead of waiting for it to come.