Improvements include tennis courts, restroom

Funding comes from the $140,000 the park levy raises annually.
By TIM YOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
HUBBARD -- Resurfaced tennis courts at Harding Park will reopen, having been closed in April after heaving asphalt made them unplayable.
Daniel Madeline, a member of the three-member Hubbard Township Free Park Board, said the courts are among a number of projects that have been upgraded at the park beginning last year.
The other members are Ray Kyle and Tom Papa.
Madeline said the courts were closed because gas created by slag underneath them heaved some of the asphalt, creating grapefruit-like mounds on the surface.
The courts were constructed in 1991. Apparently, Madeline said, the architect called for the wrong type of slag and the gas eventually formed.
The mounds, the board member explained, caused a liability problem because of possible injury to players. The decision was then made to close them.
Madeline pointed out that normally a tennis court surface lasts about 10 years. The statute of limitations had expired and the board could not file a lawsuit against the architect, he explained.
"We were left holding the bag," Madeline said, noting $30,000 is being spent on grinding down the mounds and resurfacing the courts.
That was accomplished last week, but the asphalt must cure and a sealer needs to be put over the surface before they're playable.
The cost will be taken from the $140,000 the park receives annually from a 1-mill levy paid by township and city residents that was approved in 1997.
Restrooms
Another $30,000 is being spent this year, Madeline said, on the construction of a large restroom facility to service the Hubbard Community Youth League baseball and soccer fields.
With the construction of waterlines and sewer service, the restroom will replace well water and outhouses.
This brings to seven the number of restrooms in the park completed last year and this year, including those at four pavilions and the Scout Cabin.
"This is going to be a big plus for them [the league]," Madeline said, noting that in the fall, the eight baseball fields are converted to soccer fields.
"We're operating on a pretty tight budget," Madeline said, noting the revenue from the 1-mill levy supports improvements and maintenance done by seven seasonal workers at the 60-acre facility.
Madeline explained that the Kiwanis, Rotary, Optimists and the youth league have contributed to the park over the years.
"Through them, we have been able to make it what it is," he said, calling attention to the cooperation from the city and township governments.
yovich@vindy.com