Groundbreaking held for basketball/pickleball courts

Commissioners are expanding recreation opportunities for township residents of all ages.

Elizabeth Township Commissioners broke ground Tuesday on another site for recreational activities.

At Highland Meadows Park, there’s a partial construction of a $143,000 dual basketball/pickleball courts at the existing playground by El Grande Industries with a new pathway leading up to it and a planned 10-foot-high fence surrounding the courts.

The township’s goal is to reinvest and maintain its current facilities, according to township president Josh Walls, who said a decision was made last year to introduce a line item in the budget to improve properties across the township’s 25 miles.

“We want it to be state of the art, that is our goal to do that, we are hopeful that we are headed in the right direction,” Commissioner Chris Thoma said. “One of my goals is I would like to see every year, we have small little parks and I would like to add something every year, for older people to use, not just for younger kids, so it is very community friendly.”

Thoma emphasized that revitalizing community parks is a great way to bring everyone together, regardless of age, to have a community gathering place.

Commissioners Thoma, Walls, Adam Musisko, township manager Greg Butler and Matt DeLibero, the director of U.S. Steel’s environmental, reliability and operational excellence in the Mon Valley were present for Tuesday’s groundbreaking.

“U.S. Steel partnered with us for it and we are very thankful for that. Without them, it wouldn’t be where it is going to be,” Thoma said.

Thoma said it’s important to start partnerships in the community, including with U.S. Steel, which has been a “valuable option” for many people.

DeLibero called the project “great” and said the integration of bringing everyone together is a good idea.

“It’s reinvesting back into the community,” DeLibero said. “We should be able to provide some- thing where families can come and spend time together. From a U.S. Steel standpoint, we like to partner with a lot of the communities we work with.”

Walls added that their job is to have parks for the families who have “set roots” in the township.

“We want to make sure they have amenities locally. That was one of the main things we heard as I first became a commissioner was we lack certain amenities for residents,” Walls said. “At least on the recreation side of things, we’re trying to reinvest into our community, and make sure that’s what you want to see. You want to see people using these facilities.”

Musisko said Thoma, who put the court together and said it’s the most practical time for the project together because of how “vast” the area is.

“It made a lot of sense and when we put it together, as we looked at it a little bit more, it really would tighten up this area to make the playground match the park,” Musisko said. “It was one of those beat-up parks. It will be so much more compatible with the other part of the township. We are optimistic that it is

going to take this area and make it worth being here.”

Commissioners also had a groundbreaking in April for a new $1.6 million Boston ballfield. The improvement project will renovate the existing Boston field that’s located between a section of Greater Allegheny Passage trail and the Youghiogheny River. Thoma said it should open in July.

They also broke ground on five new sports courts in April 2023, including two youth basketball courts and three pickleball courts. They were built in Mount Vernon Fields, and opened in July 2023.

“To me, that investment paid tenfold up at Mount Vernon and we are hoping each little community gets their own upgrades and facilities,” Walls said. “Like Chris emphasized, this is not just for young people, it’s for people of all ages and I think that’s really important. Our township is full of green spaces and we want to promote that. We want to promote outdoor activities, and this is part of that. Each year we hope to do something like this.”