Basketball court replaces the park’s original playground
Construction has begun on a new outdoor basketball court at Penn Meadows Park in North Liberty (Tuesday photo). The project is being funded in part by a grant from Wellmark. Additional funding for the $60,000 project will come from hotel/motel revenue and franchise fees. (Megan Woolard/The Gazette)
NORTH LIBERTY – Penn Meadows Park in North Liberty is getting a new outdoor basketball court that will replace the aging equipment on the south side of the park.
Construction has already begun and the city aims to open the court in September.
North Liberty received a $19,000 Wellmark 3-Point Play grant for projects to promote health and physical activity in the community.
Parks Director Guy Goldsmith said the department had been considering building an outdoor basketball court for several years, but the grant made it possible immediately.
The total cost of the project is approximately $60,000. In addition to the grants, funds will be used from the city’s hotel/motel and franchise fees.
The plan includes a full-size concrete court with mega slam baskets. The baskets have glass backs and are built sturdy enough to accommodate dunking and hanging at the rim.
Benches will be placed around the square and a path will be created that connects the existing paths in the park.
North Liberty is replacing an outdated playground with a new basketball court in Penn Meadows Park. (The Gazette)
The outdoor field will replace the playground equipment near the Owen Skelley baseball field.
The playground was scheduled to be demolished in 2011 when the additional playground on the north side of the park near the wading pool was completed.
Goldsmith said the plastic gate had cracked in some places and the department had fixed those problems with temporary repairs.
“We held on to it as long as we could, but it was time to give it up. It became a safety hazard because I couldn’t get parts for it anymore,” Goldsmith said at a North Liberty City Council meeting.
Penn Meadows Park closes at 10 p.m. There are no plans to add lighting to the space, but Goldsmith said the department may consider lighting in the future.
Comments: [email protected]
