Hazleton's Schiavo Park getting major makeover

Citizens of the Greater Hazleton area will enjoy enhanced recreational opportunities at Louis Schiavo City View Park, thanks to community efforts led by the Tri-Area Recreation Authority and engineering design by Barry Isett & Associates (BIA).

A Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant obtained by the Tri-Area joint Recreation Authority, along with financial contributions from the First Federal Foundation, the Security Saving Foundation and the DeAngelo Brothers and in kind contributions by the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance, the Hazleton Area Football Club, the City of Hazleton and the recreation authority itself are funding the design and construction of improvements to the 16-acre park located on South Poplar Street in the City of Hazleton.

The site was originally deeded to the City of Hazleton for recreational purposes by Butler Enterprise.

Plans include the development of a football field, basketball and tennis courts, a BMX track with a watch tower and paved walking loop trail. Adjacent to a "tot lot" will be a child-size model miners' village called Patchworks.

Picnic facilities, and restrooms round out the planned amenities. Parking for 180 cars will be provided. Construction of the facilities will be phased over several years.

Greg Pavlick, manager of BIA's Hazleton office, is the project manager, working in close association with Neil Oberto, President of the Tri-Area joint Recreation Authority Bryan Smith, RLA is the principal designer and is also responsible for creating bid documents and coordinating construction activities. He is assisted by Christine Mildner.

Large portions of site grading were completed this past fall. Utilities and stormwater management system were set in place. The BMX track and football field are under construction and anticipated to be open this year.

The infrastructure of roads, parking lots and trails will be developed this spring, along with the paved courts and playground. Work from volunteers continues to be the lifeblood of the park's development, making the park truly a place for the people by the people.

Barry Isett and Associates is a full service engineering firm, located in the Broad Street Exchange Building in the heart of Hazleton. In addition to the design of recreational facilities, it provides surveying and environmental services, site/civil engineering, traffic engineering, structural engineering, mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering, construction services, and the design of geographic information systems. For more information, contact Gregg Pavlick at (570) 455-2999.