Greensburg Salem moves forward with middle school basketball court, new Offutt Field fence

Greensburg Salem residents should see exterior improvements underway at the district middle school and at Offutt Field at about the time students are returning to classes for the fall semester.

The school board this week awarded contracts to Hempfield-based C. H. & D. Enterprises for constructing a new outdoor basketball court at the middle school, at a cost of about $115,000, and for replacing a section of fence at Offutt, carrying a price tag of $102,000.

The contractor was selected as the lowest bidder among three submissions for the basketball project and was the sole bidder for the fence work.

The basketball court will be situated at the north end of a grassy area at the rear of the middle school and will be enclosed with new fencing.

“There will be a little bit of regrading so there’s a nice level surface for the basketball court,” said Scott Maritzer, project manager for district facilities consultant Civil & Environmental Consultants.

The new court will replace basketball hoops that date from the late 1970s and are situated in the school’s parking lot. It will be available for use by children in the community when school isn’t in session.

“It’s a better location,” Superintendent Ken Bissell said of the new court. “It adds more recreation for, not only our (physical education) classes, but for kids in the community, too. We hope we can use it for our basketball program and doing different things with camps for kids.

“It’s still a full court, but it’s cut down. It would be a little bit shorter than the middle school gymnasium.”

District bus contractor DMJ Transportation is supporting the basketball court project with a donation of about $35,000. Part of that grant was tapped to purchase two hoops and poles, leaving $26,000 to apply toward remaining costs.

The board vote didn’t include an optional coating for the asphalt court, at an additional cost of $20,000.

C. H. & D. Enterprises indicated it intends to mobilize equipment in early August for the court construction and complete its work there by Sept. 8.

Greensburg Salem students are scheduled to begin classes Aug. 29.

Maritzer said the contractor will have until the final week of August to complete the Offutt Field project.

A section of perimeter fence along Hutchinson Way, at the north end of the field, will be replaced with new fencing set back about 2 feet from the alley. Crews will remove a low brick wall that serves as a foundation for the existing fence and will construct a sloped asphalt border in its place.

“We’ve been working with our maintenance department on how to fence that area off” while the work is underway, Bissell said.

In addition to eliminating the crumbling wall, the project is expected to improve drainage on that end of the field.

“Bricks are ending up in the middle of the alleyway now,” Maritzer said.

The district has been put on notice by city officials to correct the problem.