Valley View project moves ahead | News, Sports, Jobs
Local News, Valley View project moves ahead
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HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County leaders are making headway this year on replacing the Valley View County Park amphitheater for use starting in 2023.
Joseph Keller of Keller Engineers, on behalf of the county’s Park and Recreation Advisory Board, told commissioners Tuesday that site preparation work will likely be advertised for bids in July. If a contract is awarded in August, that work, which includes grading and limited paving can be pursued after a county crew demolishes the existing amphitheater in September, he said.
The schedule, Keller said, calls for construction on the new amphitheater to begin in October.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve the advisory board’s recommendation to buy a GluAm Amphitheater Model Apex, measuring 45 feet wide and 10 feet high, from Recreation Resource USA.
This vendor, Keller said, participates in the state’s cooperative purchasing program, known as Costars, and has offered to provide the structure, stain, delivery and installation for $132,400.
The cost of the amphitheater alone is $73,360, according to Keller.
Half of the project’s costs will be covered by a grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, according to Chief Clerk and County Administrator Nicole Hemminger.
The other half, Hemminger said, will be paid for with money in the county’s park and recreation account or with county revenue earmarked for support of park and recreational expenses.
Keller also mentioned the advisory board pending pursuit of sponsorships to defray costs. Commissioners previously agreed to that pursuit, as requested by the advisory board, in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic put the project on a slower pace.
Commissioner Amy Webster, liaison commissioner to the advisory board, commended the advisory board for their efforts aimed at accomplishing the project.
Keller acknowledged that the developing efforts will prevent concerts, typically held in the amphitheater, from being scheduled this summer.
The park’s summer playground program, however, remains scheduled for June 13 through July 8.
Commissioners voted Tuesday to provide $4,500 in county park and recreation funds to support that program offered annually by the Central Blair Recreation and Park Commission.
In the 1980s, Blair County commissioners created Valley View County Park in response to a court order examining the county’s lease of Lakemont Park to a private developer. Because Lakemont Park was deeded to the county for public recreation, then-county Judge Richard Behrens ordered the county to create a replacement park of at least 25 acres within five miles of Lakemont Park.
In addition to the amphitheater, Valley View County Park has facilities for picnicking, walking, disc golf and a garden with accommodations for those with handicaps.
Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.