Construction at Graham Park ‘winding down’
CRANBERRY TWP — Renovations at Graham Park’s UPMC Passavant Sportsplex are nearing completion, according to township manager Dan Santoro.
“They’re winding down in the construction — it’s not done — they still have some work,” Santoro said. “There’s some punch list items as part of the project they’re working on: fencing and gates and the surfaces themselves.”
Beginning earlier this year, the courts in the complex underwent massive renovations, moving and replacing the area’s outdoor tennis, basketball and bocce ball courts.
“We built six new pickleball courts, we moved the tennis courts, and there will still be two tennis courts where the basketball courts were,” Santoro said. “And we built new basketball courts where the bocce facility was.”
While the remainder of construction for the project is weather-dependent, Santoro said the township hopes to see the project completed before summer’s end.
“Now, the dome part of the project won’t be erected until the fall; it’s a seasonal dome anyway,” he said. “But for all intents and purposes, the improvements will be done for the rest of facilities here in the next few weeks.”
After completion, the six new pickleball courts will be placed under the inflatable air-dome for all-seasons play.
“We’re thinking like October through April is approximately when it will be up,” Santoro said.
The dome also will be temperature-controlled to allow play during the colder months.
“How they inflate it is with a gas-powered air and heat handling unit,” Santoro said. “So the air that inflates it also heats it.”
With construction completing this summer, Santoro said the township is still determining when to hold a formal ceremony for the new courts.
“My guess is we’ll probably wait until we actually do the dome to do the formal ribbon cutting,” he said, “because that’ll be the big deal.”
