Uniontown parks to open Monday
Four parks and playgrounds in Uniontown will open for the summer starting Monday, but the playgrounds at two schools will not open this season because of construction at the schools, a city official said. Bailey Park, Grant Street Park, Coal Lick Run Park and the playground at Chestnut Ridge Christian Academy will be staffed and open Monday, but the playgrounds at Ben Franklin and Lafayette schools will not open because of ongoing construction work at the buildings, said Uniontown Councilman Francis “Joby” Palumbo, director of parks and public property.
All of the parks will be open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and, except for Coal Lick Run, will reopen from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The free lunch program through the Laurel Highlands School District is not being held this year, but Palumbo said he is working on a way to provide some food for children who come to the parks.
At Bailey Park, there won’t be a baseball league because of renovation work planned for the larger baseball field, but a basketball league is being formed with plans to play at night under new lights.
“The courts have not been lighted in 20 years,” Palumbo said.
Although not yet finalized, plans include setting teams by children’s grade levels and hosting evening games and late-night games from midnight to 2 a.m., he said.
Tentative plans call for teams of fifth- and sixth-graders, seven- and eighth-graders, ninth- and 10th-graders and 11th- and 12th-graders, Palumbo said.
He said parents, especially in the East End, have asked the city to provide activities at night for children.
The concession stand will be open during the evening and night games, he said.
The little league baseball field will be available for tournaments, while the larger field undergoes a transformation.
Fencing and lights will be removed this summer as a part of a long-range plan to lengthen the field to make hitting home runs more challenging.
An electrical transformer in the outfield also should be removed this year, Palumbo said.
He said the old lights eventually will be replaced with brighter and more energy-efficient LED lights.