Hempfield prepares for opening of recreation center
The grand opening of the long-awaited Hempfield Township Athletic Complex at Hempfield Park is scheduled for next month.
Hempfield officials said the installation of the gymnasium floor in the nearly 25,000-square-foot building begins this morning.
Township supervisors in May awarded a $213,500 contract to Kiefer Specialty Flooring of Lindenhurst, Ill., but the installation was delayed because the moisture content in the concrete during the summer months was too high.
The complex, scheduled to open Nov. 12, is the culmination of more than 14 years of planning since township officials identified a multi-use recreation center as a priority for residents.
In recent years, supervisors scaled down plans for a complex ranging from $14 million to $22 million to develop a building expected to cost about $2 million after floating $5 million in bonds in 2000.
The township will not charge a membership fee, although users will pay fees for formal recreation programs, group rentals and tournaments.
Supervisors have set a $2-per-person fee for adults who want to use courts at the complex during daytime off-hours when school is in session. The fee is the same for residents and non-residents.
The building will provide a permanent indoor home to the township's recreation programs, including the more than 700 youths enrolled in a basketball program, recreation director Dean Minerva said.
"We've always been at the mercy of the school district," he said.
In the past, the township's recreation department had an agreement with the Hempfield Area School District to use its schools' gymnasiums for sports, although the hours generally were limited to weekday evenings.
"We'll still continue to use that, but at a minimum because we have this," Minerva said.
Overall, the complex features a two-lane walking track surrounding the three basketball courts, which are partitioned by curtain dividers.
Each of the courts, which may be used for volleyball, indoor soccer and other sports, will have a scoreboard.
The Coca-Cola Bottling Co. has donated a scoreboard, and Patrick Karnash, the facility manager for the complex, is seeking other corporate sponsorships.
Township officials are trying to line up other funding streams for the building.
A former township supervisor, state Sen. Bob Regola, lobbied for the state to approve $500,000 through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.
Township staff members are wading through an application process for the grant, but Regola said it's "pretty much a definite" Hempfield's project will be funded.
"I really think it's a plus, and it's an added feature to Hempfield Park," he said.
Business hours are scheduled to be 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Fridays; 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays; and noon to 7 p.m. Sundays.
