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A prominent (but underused) corner of Downtown McKeesport will be getting a makeover in the spring.

Renovations to J. Clarence Kelly Park are expected to get underway at the same time that Walnut Street and Fifth Avenue are being improved.

And because at least 10 homeowners in Christy Park are eligible for funding for new facades and other repairs to their homes, the entire Walnut Street corridor could look a little better at this time next year.

Kelly Park --- best known as the home of the city's last remaining railroad crossing shanty --- is being redone with the assistance of a $215,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Although used for the weekly summer "Lunch on the Lawn" events and as a play area for nearby day care centers, the park is otherwise neglected.

"When you're driving past, it looks OK, but when you're over there walking around, (you can tell) it's become unkempt," says Bethany Budd Bauer, city director of community development. "Our goal is really just to freshen it up and green it up."

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Named for one of the city's most prominent physicians, the park was created in the 1970s after the removal of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad tracks that bisected Downtown.

For many years, the park was owned by the city Redevelopment Authority, which held the deed in case a business owner wanted to use the land for commercial use.

Initial plans called for a fairly elaborate renovation of Kelly Park, but Bauer says the rapidly rising cost of construction supplies will likely force a more modest scheme.

The work will likely include repairs to the pavilion at the center of the park, replacement of trees and shrubs, and decorative fencing around the edges, Bauer says.

Planning is being completed by Senate Engineering Corp. and bids will probably be solicited in March or April.

If the work stretches into the summer, Bauer says "Lunch on the Lawn" may be temporarily relocated to Kennedy Park or Gergely Riverfront Park.

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Improvements to Kelly Park will come as work finally begins on a long-delayed, state-funded project to install new street lights, traffic controls, signs and other amenities to Fifth Avenue between Huey and Water streets.

In addition, two-way traffic will be restored to Fifth for the first time since the 1960s.

But rather than focusing all of their attention on Fifth Avenue --- once the city's main shopping district, but now largely vacant or occupied by marginal business --- city officials are working to reshape the Walnut Street corridor that connects Downtown and the marina with Elizabeth Township.

Sidewalks will be installed this spring along Walnut between the 15th Avenue Bridge and the 2000 block near CP Industries.

The money is coming through the "Elm Street Program" administered by the state Department of Community and Economic Development. Created in 2004 by the state Legislature and Gov. Ed Rendell, the Elm Street Program funds improvements to older residential neighborhoods in distressed communities.

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Perhaps the most significant improvement to Walnut and other streets in Christy Park, however, will come within the neighborhoods of the 11th Ward, through a series of grants to homeowners for facade improvements. All owner-occupied houses between Eden Park Boulevard and 24th Avenue are eligible for up to $5,000, says Jim Haughey, Elm Street Program Coordinator for McKeesport Housing Corp.

Although there are no income eligibility requirements, Haughey says homeowners must obtain matching funds for any grants they receive.

Improvements can include painting, cleaning, installing new siding, repairing porches or awnings, repointing brick, replacing windows or other capital investments, Haughey says.

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According to Haughey, MHC wants to fund improvements to at least 10 houses, but more Christy Park homeowners may be eligible if individual projects cost less than $5,000.

Homeowners need only to make a request describing the kinds of improvements they need, Haughey says. "We write the specifications and put them out to bid," he says. "All of the contractors we use will be qualified to do safe work."

Three homes have already qualified, Haughey says. The deadline for applications is June 30.

For more information, call McKeesport Housing Corp. at (412) 664-7003.