27-03-2025
Johnstown City Council accepts winning bid for playground work, plans upgrades at Sargent's Stadium
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Upgrades are expected to soon be made to Sargent's Stadium at the Point and two Johnstown neighborhood playgrounds using federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars.
New concrete will be put down in the Point's outfield area, while an awning will be installed by the entrance to create a TV display location. A batting cage will also be incorporated.
Meanwhile, at the Wood Street playground in the Hornerstown section of town, basketball hoops, playground equipment and borders will be installed, along with asphalt repairs being done.
Significant changes will be made to the skate park at the Bheam School playground along Fairfield Avenue in the West End. Up to two pickleball courts and a bike ramp will be installed. The asphalt center will be replaced with grass. The existing walking path will be repainted.
'The city's just kind of moving forward with trying to start and finish some projects this year, particularly in our parks and our playgrounds and those sorts of things,' Mayor Frank Janakovic said after the construction contract was awarded Wednesday during a special meeting of Johnstown City Council. 'We have an optimistic look of moving forward with a lot of these projects being completed this year.'
Straw Construction, from Somerset County, came in with the winning bid of $391,970.
All six council members present voted to have Johnstown City Manager Art Martynuska execute the agreement.
The funds are from the more than $30 million the city received in ARPA money for COVID-19 pandemic relief.
'It's been our process since we got the ARPA money that we allocated a good chunk of it toward playgrounds. … We've been redoing playgrounds with the ARPA money, Minersville (playground) was worked on,' Johnstown City Councilwoman Marie Mock said.
'We're going to just keep moving along.'
