Donora’s Highland Terrace court receives much-needed renovation

By Jose Negron

jnegron@yourmvi.com

Two years ago, Yancey Taylor didn’t like what he saw at the Highland Terrace basketball court in Donora.

There were cracks in the court, no fence in place to keep a loose ball from disappearing from the playing surface and the hoops were in bad shape.

“The court was in shambles,” said Taylor, a former Ringgold basketball standout and Donora native. “The kids didn’t have anywhere to go.”

Eager to give area children a place to hone their skills and stay active, Taylor and a host of others went to work to help renovate the area.

Two years later, the court has a fresh playing surface, new hoops and a pair of benches. Fencing is currently being installed around the court, too.

“This is going to be very nice when they’re done with the fencing. It’s going to be top of the line,” Taylor said. “It’s remarkable what has been done in a short period of time.”

Local officials joined Ringgold basketball greats in celebrating the newly remodeled court during a dedication ceremony Friday afternoon.

Washington County Commissioners Diana Irey Vaughn and Nick Sherman were among those in attendance.

Irey Vaughn was crucial in helping to transform the court into an area local residents can be proud of.

“Yancey and Steve Toprani called me multiple times about this basketball court, so I called Jim McDonald, who is on the (Washington County) housing authority, and Steve Hall, the executive director, and I said, ‘Look, this has to get done. These kids need this and these kids deserve this,’” Irey Vaughn said. “One of the best things we can do for our youth is to make sure they are occupying their time with something that is productive. Anything that promotes teamwork, sports or physical activity is going to be good for them.”

Sherman, who is in his freshman year as a Washington County commissioner, said he has fond memories of watching the 1995 Ringgold boys basketball team, which won the PIAA Class 4A championship that year.

He specifically noted a favorite memory in Czar Walsh’s half-court shot that sent the Rams to the state quarterfinals.

When meaningful projects, like the one at Highland Terrace, are done, Sherman said he oftentimes thinks of great players like Walsh who were once young children looking for a place to perfect their craft.

“This court is a great thing, but it represents the future of Ringgold and the future of Donora,” Sherman said. “There are so many wonderful athletes that came out of here and the question is, who is living in this neighborhood right now, or in Donora or the surrounding area, that is going to come up here and hone their skills to be the next great athlete from this area?

“Politics and government is so much more than showing up on a daily basis and signing off on paperwork, it’s about the opportunity to do great things like this and know we are planting the roots for the future of the children here in Washington County and Donora.”

Larry Morrow, a member of the housing board, was also in attendance and said projects like the one at Highland Terrace are important to give children a wholesome place to enjoy an outdoor activity.

“I’m very honored to see this going on,” Morrow said.

Ringgold School Board President Bill Stine applauded Irey Vaughn and Sherman’s commitment to the Mon Valley and reiterated Ringgold’s mission to make the district one of the best in the state of Pennsylvania.

“That starts with projects like this,” Stine said. “It starts with getting kids off the streets and getting them to know teamwork. When they have teamwork, they start making better decisions, and better decisions mean better outcomes for everyone.”

Stine expressed gratitude for Taylor, too, stating the two converse “about 30 times a day,” and each conversation always involves kids.

“This is the kind of thing that makes things better for kids,” Stine said. “It will not only make Ringgold sports better, but Ringgold academics better.”

Donora Councilwoman Cindy Brice said she was able to witness the work done on the court from start to finish.

“I was up here every day for the summer feeding program, so I watched them work and I watched the kids wait,” Brice said. “As soon as it got paved, they were out here playing basketball.

“I hope we all continue to promote this and encourage people from other towns to bring their teams here to play.”

Former Ringgold standouts Scott Nedrow and Art Coleman were among those in attendance who grew up playing at Highland Terrace.

Both spoke during the ceremony and even shot a few foul shots afterwards to commemorate the occasion.

“This is the beginning of a new era,” Nedrow said. “We need to get young people in our community to come here. It’s good to see the faces behind the machine that gets these things going.”

“We played on this court a long time ago,” Coleman said. “I have probably seen five or six generations of kids play here. I can name so many names that we would be here for hours. I can’t wait to be able to do something more with this.”

Taylor already has plans to get kids on the court for a summer league next year.

He said he hopes to see it serve as a developmental league of sorts for the Mon Valley Independent Summer Basketball League, which just finished its inaugural season at Marx’s Court Time Sports Center in Elizabeth Township.

“If we get the kids from fourth grade through ninth, they will already be prepared to go to that league,” Taylor said. “There will 100% be a summer league here next year.”

For now, though, Taylor is content with knowing Highland Terrace’s basketball court will now look better than ever with kids flocking to it to play the game of basketball just like he did growing up.

“I want to do everything I can to help the kids,” Taylor said. “That’s my goal.”