Construction for fitness pad at Memorial Park greenlighted by Council

Williamsport will get an outdoor fitness court with exercise equipment at Memorial Park.

City Council approved a resolution to award construction services for the outdoor fitness court project to a city company which bid $77,759.

Lycoming Supply Co. submitted the low bid to construct a 38 feet by 38 feet concrete pad, with stone subbase and a tile floor on top, said Bill Scott, city engineer.

The exercise equipment costs are separate at about $130,000, he said during a committee meeting.

The project will be funded by a Community Development Block grant, he said.

The resolution was tabled by council two weeks ago while a bid review was done. Construction will begin this fall. The total budgeted for the exercise facility is $247,000, Scott said during a committee meeting.

Habitat for Humanity homes

Just a few blocks away from the park, Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity is building six single-family homes on property on Scott Street, specifically 1620 to 1628 Scott St.

Two homes are constructed with the remainder and a pocket park in the plan, according to Valerie Fessler, city director of the department of community and economic development.

To help fund the project, council approved several resolutions authorizing execution of a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) agreement between the city and Greater Lycoming Habitat for Humanity.

The agreements date from 2022, 2023, 2024 and one agreement is out of the city department program income account, Fessler said. The amounts per those years vary with the largest amount $300,000; followed by $45,000; $30,000 and $30,000.

As part of the annual allocation of Housing and Urban Development HOME funds the department is required to allocate 15% of the annual allocation to a CHDO and this is that contribution and dollar amount, Fessler explained.

During a finance committee discussion, Councilwoman Liz Miele said she was under the impression the city had a pot of money of about $1.2 million of HOME funds that came back to the city when people paid back loans through the program.

Fessler added the amount was at $994,000. Along with this current pot of money, HUD has encouraged the city to spend its program income account down before spending out of the annual allocation. Due to this amount of money being so large the city will move it to Habitat and then the department, in consultation with Mayor Derek Slaughter, and council will figure out other options and ways to move larger amounts of this funding in order to be in compliance, Fessler said.

Then, in turn , the annual allocations received will not become non-compliant, she added.

Miele said she spoke with local Realtors and wanted to see whether any of the allocation could go toward a first time homebuyer program.

“We are looking forward to presenting some projects and ways to get this money spent to support the community,” Fessler said.