May 19, 2026 By Garrett Neese 3 min read

Several years ago, Bob Garbart and his wife, Marilyn, were walking to a church council meeting when they saw neighborhood kids playing in the adjacent parking lot in Uniontown’s East End.

With no equipment set up for them, they were playing basketball on a broken portable hoop.

“And Bob said, ‘Those kids really need a place to play,'” Marilyn said. “And I agreed with him.”

That set off a chain-reaction of presentations, paperwork and amassing community support to turn the largely unused parking lot into a place that could become a community hub.

And it ultimately led to the dedication of the new city park and playground by the Calvary United Methodist Church last month.

Bob and Marilyn presented the idea to the church council, which approved it. From there, they got the approval from Western Pennsylvania conference of the United Methodist Church for the park, which entailed turning the land over to the city of Uniontown if they were successful in obtaining a grant.

They were helped along the way by letters of support from people around the area, including the city’s Redevelopment Authority, nearby schools, local pastors and Calvary congregation.

Bob, a retired engineer, had stayed friends with Terry McMillen of McMillen Engineering. His company designed the park, working with “no compensation at the time but our thanks,” Marilyn said.

That would come from federal Community Development Block Grant funding, administered through the Redevelopment Authority.

“I will braggingly say that the Redevelopment Authority told us that Harrisburg told them that it was one of the most complete projects they had ever reviewed, that the submission was so well done,” Marilyn said. “But that goes to lots and lots of people being very cooperative.”

Unfortunately, Bob did not live to see the project come to fruition. He died in August 2024, before the grant was awarded.

His work to transform the space was commemorated in its new name — Bob Garbart Memorial Park.

The new playground boasts swings, a climbing gym, animal spring riders — and naturally, a basketball court.

The Redevelopment Authority is also looking at a second phase that would include a pavilion and restrooms.

The April 25 ribbon-cutting and grand opening drew more than 175 people, including city and county dignitaries. Kids tried out the new playground equipment and made crafts, while everyone could visit booths for local community groups.

More than 60 bicycle helmets were given out, while the crowd also ate more than 100 bags of popcorn along with other goodies, according to the church.

“Bob would have been happy,” Marilyn said.

Even before the ceremony, Marilyn saw the effects of what Bob had put in motion.

Driving into another church meeting, she looked over at the same spot where kids had once made do with a broken hoop to see children enjoying the new playground.

“There were two mothers sitting watching them, and I went down and just told them how happy we were to see them using it,” she said. “And they said they were just so thrilled there was something so close that their kids could use.”