The City of St. Clairsville features a number of outdoor amenities for residents and beyond to enjoy, all run by the town’s recreation department.
There’s Memorial Park, the rec center itself and the accompanying playground and amphitheater behind it, along with fishing opportunities at the reservoir.
But the city owns another patch of property that used to feature small playground equipment and where a basketball court can still be found, in use—albeit one in serious need of repairs and upgrades.
The South Park playground is located directly south of Clark Avenue between Clark and St. Clairsville streets. That patch of land belongs to the city, including the basketball court.
A group of citizens, including Bill Brooks, whose property on the corner of Neff Street and Clarke Avenue butts up against the park, met Monday evening to discuss possibilities for the park.
Around 6-7 people came for the meeting, along with city councilman Frank Sabatino and his wife.
“We had a decent turnout,” Brooks said. “There were a lot of ideas thrown out and a lot of things that I didn’t realize about the park.”
Brooks noted that he never noticed that there is a walking trail that extends back behind the basketball court and around the grounds through the woods.
The path could be cleared further and make a short little loop through the wooded portion of the grounds. It’s obviously in use as dirt ramps have been built into the path to allow those riding their bikes along the path to catch air.
Needed Upgrades
The basketball court is still used by neighborhood kids. But it’s in deteriorating condition. The court itself is uneven, has numerous cracks, and is no longer capable of hosting a competitive game. In the past, tournaments were held at the court.
One of the backboards is listing forward, and the rim is slightly bent. Anyone serious about improving their game would be practicing on incorrect rim heights and angles. Plus, as stated, there’s no way play a full-court game.
But the facility could be so much more.
Brooks was there when the court was put in. He helped then recreation director Kevin Barr pour and frame off the court. The grass area used to feature smaller playground equipment. But when the years took their toll and rust set in, the city removed them without replacing them.
Ideally, Brooks would like to see a few picnic tables included at the park, a swing set, and maybe even additional playground equipment. Those additions alone would make it more inviting for families with young children, or people in general, to come utilize the park for a nice afternoon.
Fixing up the basketball court would likely be the biggest expense, but Brooks himself is willing to help out the plan.
“I already said if we can get the ball rolling, I’ll donate two of those heavy-duty picnic tables out of my own pocket,” Brooks said. “Then people could sit down, have a lunch, and enjoy the park.”
Brooks said in talks with members of a couple of churches, he’s heard the suggestion of possibly having teenagers from the church come down and teach younger children arts and crafts during the day. That would also necessitate the need of having tables to utilize.
Traditional-style camping is also a possibility. Back along the path, there are a number of areas that could be utilized as primitive-style campsites with only a little effort to clear out each spot.
A couple of fire-rings could be created with either rocks or bricks to add that amenity to each campsite or even one or two for all at the park to use. The same could be said for setting up a couple of charcoal grill stands, the kind seen at state parks in the area.
“If a parent wanted to take their young kid out there maybe for their first camping trip, it’s close, it doesn’t cost anything, but they can go out there and set up and camp,” Brooks said. “There are a lot of possibilities.”
The entrance of the walking path at the park 
The walking path is shown further back into the wooded area.
Needing the City’s Go-Ahead
Brooks noted no matter what the group would like to see down at South Park, it needs the city’s approval as the grounds are under rec department control.
He also noted councilwoman Linda Jordan, who is council’s representative on the recreation board, will take the ideas to the board to see if there’s any funding or grants that can be applied for that could aid any ideas waiting to be implemented at the park.
In addition to the above-referenced picnic table donation, Brooks is willing to put additional skin in the game, or, in this case, land—his land.
A portion of Brooks’ property in the rear has what appears to be an old access road that he allowed the city to install to reach the playground better. On the opposite of that entryway lies the rest of his property, out where it meets Neff Street. He’s willing to allow the city to have that to allow better utilization at the park.
Anyone wishing to get more involved or to help propose additional ideas, or ways to fund said ideas, is invited to come to the next meeting on June 7 at 7 p.m. at the park.
