Parks and recreation sites are starting to open up around the county.

City of Warren Manager Mike Holtz said that the water for restrooms and water fountains would start to be turned on in city parks this week.

“We’ll be making sure all the playground equipment is in good shape, putting wood carpet back in where needed,” Holtz said, calling it an effort at “firing up the parks. There’s some work to do there.”

Holtz said the tables and chairs downtown will follow early this month.

“We generally try to do it April 1st-ish,” he said. “We’re getting geared up for that.”

The mulch pile at Betts Park near the tennis courts is also ready to go.

And the city is opening that up this year for the first time to non-city residents.

“We’ve got a lot of mulch to give,” Department of Public Works Superintendent Joe Reinke said.

He said the mulch is made up of leaves, trimmings, wood chips and grass clippings that are collected throughout the city.

“We’re not wasting any material,” he said. “We’ve been trading it to some of our local contractors. They like it. They reclaim their jobs with it. We get some free work back.”

Holtz said the city has gotten “much better” at the production of the mulch.

Sites will open up over the next two months on the Allegheny National Forest.

Forest Service officials were able to open the Rimrock Overlook “a little early,” according to ANF Public Affairs Officer Chris Leeser.

“The stairs to the overlook may still have ice especially in the shaded areas and caution and care should be exercised when traversing the stairs,” he said.

Looking at the rest of the ANF, April 1 and May 1 are the two main dates when sites will start to open up.

The April 1 data includes the Farnsworth Cabin, Loleta with Red Bridge to follow on April 5.

Campgrounds at Hearts Content, Tracy Ridge, Buckaloons and the boat launch at Kiasutha will open May 1.

Kiasutha and Dewdrop campgrounds will open May 23 and May 24, respectively.