City Council recently adopted legislation that will lead to the upgrading of various aspects of Memorial Park. A resolution with the North Royalton School District and an ordinance regarding the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), lead to cost saving partnerships by the city.
City Council recently adopted a resolution that continues a partnership with the city schools for a lease agreement at Memorial Park that adds up to a win-win situation. The lease, which extends through 2036, involves the sharing of the tennis courts and basketball courts, including the maintenance and upgrades. Mayor Bob Stefanik said that the city has maintained this partnership for Memorial Park with the schools for over twenty-five years. “We have always had a good, working relationship with the schools,” said Stefanik.
Two basketball courts and six tennis courts at Memorial Park are in the process of being upgraded by the school district. The courts will have upgraded fencing and resurfacing. The cost of these upgrades is expected to be about $50,000. The fence is currently being done, where some areas of the fence replaced and railing added to serve as a brace. By adding the railing, it is expected to increase the life span of the improvement. Both tennis courts and basketball courts will be sealed, repainted and re-striped sometime in June. In order to do that, it will be shut down temporarily.
An ordinance was adopted by City Council that partners with ODOT for the installation of a sidewalk from the Memorial Park area. The ordinance gives the Director of ODOT the authority to complete the project, which will construct sidewalks on the west side of State Road from Memorial Park to Royalton Road (Rt. 82).
The National Transportation Act was made available by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) federal funding to use by local agencies, such as municipalities. The FHWA designated ODOT as the administrator for funding programs. The project is estimated to cost $136,125.00 in total. Eighty percent of the project, $108,900.00 will be paid by those federal funds, with the city contributing $27,225.00, which is the remaining twenty percent. At this time, the time frame for construction of the project is not known.

By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer