Mt. Pleasant Township expands ball field parking with help from PennDOT contractor

Use of a playground and ball field in Mt. Pleasant Township is on the rise, prompting expansion of a parking lot for the recreational site.

Township Supervisor Frank Puskar said there had been space for about 50 vehicles to park at the Norvelt ball field, at Route 981 and Kecksburg Road, but that capacity will roughly triple because of the lot expansion.

“Our playground and ball field area is really busy anymore,” said Puskar. “It’s great to see all these kids playing outside.”

Puskar said work on the gravel parking lot began on the morning of Aug. 6, as a result of a partnership that came together quickly with Walsh Construction. Walsh is the general contractor for PennDOT’s adjacent Laurel Valley Transportation Improvement Project along the Route 981 corridor.

The township is providing the stone for the lot extension and Walsh is donating the labor, according to Puskar. He noted the township leases the field and playground from Mt. Pleasant Area School District, which gave approval for the project.

“This happened so fast,” Puskar said. “The supervisors approached Walsh (Aug. 5) since they are working on that intersection. It’s their way of doing something for the community.”

Among activities at the recreational site are girls softball, practice sessions for youth football cheerleaders and summertime arts and crafts.

Puskar said the expanded lot may help with overflow parking for nearby Hurst Field, home to a youth football program that has a separate lease from the school district.

As part of the Laurel Valley project, Walsh recently finished work on a new roundabout at Norvelt, taking the place of a complex intersection where Route 981 and Kecksburg Road converge with Hecla and Mt. Pleasant roads.

The roundabout is meant to enhance safety for both motorists and pedestrians crossing through the area.

“It’s great that it’s a lot safer for the kids,” said township Supervisor Duane Hutter.

Hutter said work on the extended ball field parking lot was expected to wrap up in less than two days.

A former portion of Route 981 will remain open to provide access to the Norvelt field.

Construction on the southernmost of three sections of the Laurel Valley project — from Norvelt south to the intersection of routes 981 and 819 — is expected to be substantially complete in September, with the exception of some remaining off-road work and cleanup.

Design work is underway for the remaining two sections, which stretch north toward Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity.