EASTON, Pa. — City and school district officials are close to closing on a deal that would see revamped basketball courts at Easton's Vanderveer Park.
Discussions of an agreement that would see Easton Area School District front $30,000 toward the project — which has been estimated at a minimum of $200,000 — appear to be all but wrapped up as of this week, with administrators and board members expressing satisfaction over the deal.
Previous estimates for the project pinned costs at $350,000, though bidding could bring the price tag down even further.
According to Assistant Superintendent for District Operations and Services Dr. Josh Ziatyk, EASD has been engaged in talks to beautify the park for “many years,” and the latest proposal from the city seems to be a prime opportunity to accomplish the goal.
During a meeting in early May, Easton City Council heard a presentation by Director of Public Works David Hopkins concerning the proposal, in addition to a plan to spruce up Centennial Park.
With the city footing the bill for all new playground equipment, officials were looking for a way to mitigate expenses, with Vanderveer “really need[ing] it,” as Hopkins said.
Primarily, the motivation comes from a point of weaving the district into the community as a partner, especially in an area that could use more accessible space for residents to use for leisure.
If the city handles demolition, pavement, milling, and other elements of the project in-house, there could be substantial savings — but people like Hopkins and Councilmember Frank Pintabone, who spearheaded the measure, have expressed they would like to see the district invest a bit in the community space.
“And at the time of that sale, we had the board… that indicated that they would like to see that money go towards recreational facilities in the city, so this certainly fits that requirement.”Meg Sayago
Fortunately, the district happens to have more than enough cash on hand to pony up $30,000.
I think that we should use a portion of the money that we have from the sale of Lachenour as the funding mechanism, given that we are currently in possession of those funds,” EASD School Board President Meg Sayago said.
“And at the time of that sale, we had the board… that indicated that they would like to see that money go towards recreational facilities in the city, so this certainly fits that requirement.”
Questioned about what the district’s money would go toward, Ziatyk explained “The district in this case is looking to improve just the basketball court area, so the city is taking care of Vanderveer Park here in the green space, but then it's also willing to partner with the district to upgrade the basketball courts specifically.”
When Board Member Jodi Hess asked who would be responsible for the replacement of basketball nets — which tend to run around $5 to $7 on average — Pintabone said his fellow Councilmember Crystal Rose, who also works for Unity Bank, would tap her employer to fund net replacements.
Pintabone, Rose, and Greater Easton Development Partnership Executive Director Jared Mast thanked the board for the support, though city and district solicitors must still draft a contract, which will likely come up for a vote during EASD’s July meeting.
