Mar 26, 2003 By Steve Ostrosky 5 min read

MASONTOWN – The two borough parks are slated for $20,000 worth of improvements, but how to spend the extra $8,000 in state funds allocated for the parks became a heated issue among members of the borough council Tuesday. Brian Harkins, a member of the borough recreation board, updated the council on $28,000 from the state Department of Community and Economic Development that was earmarked for the Redwood Street and Jefferson Avenue mini-parks. Some of the upgrades include resurfacing and fencing the parks and installing swing sets for the Jefferson Avenue park.

He said the remaining $8,000 would be spent to remove the basketball court at Redwood Street and convert it into a skateboarding park, because the demand for such an area has increased within the borough.

Kids who enjoy skateboarding or rollerblading often are using borough streets or parking lots, and Harkins said they should be able to enjoy their activity in a safer location. He said the money needs to be spent within a year, or it will be forfeited back to the state.

But council did not appear to favor Harkins’ idea.

Council President Joe Volansky said eliminating the borough’s only basketball court would take away another activity that youths in Masontown need. He said the borough should be looking to develop more recreational activities rather than taking some away.

“Redwood is heavily used by kids, and that court is full right now,” Volansky said. “I understand that skateboarding is an up and coming sport, but you are not going to compare it with basketball as to what is more popular.”

Harkins said he is not opposed to any sport or activity, but he said the skate park would be better suited at Redwood, because the court there is not regulation size, and the money has to be spent at either Redwood or Jefferson and not German-Masontown Park because it is considered a county park.

Additionally, the skate park would be more visible to people, which is one of the keys to attracting them to use the site. He said basketball courts could be used at German-Masontown Park, especially if one of the tennis courts is converted to a regulation-size court.

He said the borough would be without a basketball court for the short term but would have the use of a better one if German-Masontown Park improvements happen this year.

Volansky asked if the grant agreement could be amended to include German-Masontown Park, because he doesn’t want to see the borough without a basketball court.

“I would hate to create a ramp and not give the kids a place to play,” he said. “We should have a million things at our parks, and if it takes money to make it happen, then let’s explore that option.”

Council made no decision about the plan for the skate park, and Harkins said he would continue to look at improvements to all parks. He stressed that the $8,000 the borough received over the $20,000 request must be spent during the grant period or it must be returned to the state.

In another matter, resident Scott Garvin returned to council and asked if anything would be done to control speeding drivers and traffic along South Liberty Street. He said many motorists speed through the area near his house, and vehicles often end up in his yard and almost strike his house.

He said neighbors along the street signed a petition, asking that the road be made one-way or closed in the area of his house to avoid the heavy traffic. Council has taken no action on the petition, he said.

“I just need some help here, or I am going to go elsewhere to get it,” Garvin said. “This is a clear, present health and safety issue for my whole family.”

Volansky said the traffic safety committee decided not to close the road because it would affect emergency vehicles, but he said the whole council has not formally decided on what to do about the stretch of road.

Borough engineer Russ Mechling said any dead-end street must have a cul-de-sac in order to qualify for any state liquid fuels money.

Volansky said the street could lose its liquid fuels money entirely, and that money would have gone to paving the road this summer. He said the borough would have to pick up the tab if that section of road needed improvements.

“A brand new road won’t happen unless the borough pays for it,” he said. “In my opinion, this affects us no more than any other dead-end street in this town.”

Councilwoman Carole Daniels said the council will continue to discuss the issue and will take action soon.

The council also discussed improvements to sidewalks along Main Street, and Councilman Tom Loukota said the borough is looking into applying for grant money to pay for repairs. He said he needs a cost estimate before any application can be sent.

The issue of sidewalks turned into an issue of responsibility, as the council discussed whether they could enforce an ordinance that requires property owners to maintain their sidewalks or whether the trees that the borough planted along the sidewalks two decades ago are causing the sidewalks to crack and buckle.

Volansky said the trees are causing much of the problem, and it would not make sense to apply for a grant to pay for sidewalk repairs while keeping the trees intact. He said the roots are digging into the borough’s water and sewer lines and would require a major project to remove the trees and replace the sidewalks.

“This is not as simple as cutting trees down,” he said. “This affects all the sidewalks in town.”

The council took no action on the matter Tuesday night.