Hampton council addresses improvement projects

Feb. 14 not only marked both Valentine’s Day and Ash Wednesday, but it also marked a first for newly appointed Hampton Township manager Ryan Jeroski.

The council meeting that night was the first he handled solo since succeeding former manager Christopher Lochner.

Jeroski took care of business like he had been doing so in Hampton for many years. His previous experience as assistant manager in Peters Township shines through, and his sense of humor can be engaging.

Even though Lochner was not present at the meeting, it’s difficult for a man retiring after a 37½-year career not to be mentioned. One of the first items on the agenda was designating the main road through the Hampton Township Community Center complex as Lochner Way.

Council member Daniel Sciulli drew a laugh from the crowd when he said that he heard the Hampton high school track team was debating whether the signs had been there for quite a while or if they were new. The latter is the case.

In addition to the designation of Lochner Way, council received updates regarding the equipment in the community center’s gymnasium. About $56,000 will be spent fixing some of the motorized basketball hoops and replacing the existing giant green curtain that separates various sections of the gym space.

Carolynn Johnson, council president, gave one final request for the new curtain.

“Please try to find a nicer color that will also match the community center’s interior,” she said while laughing. Other council members agreed that the current curtain is far from attractive.

Along with the replacement of interior basketball equipment, resurfacing of the tennis courts in the community park will begin sometime this year but may not be completed until late fall.

The $400,000 resurfacing project involves creating three new pickleball courts, two courts used for both tennis and pickleball, and three official tennis courts.

Improvements also are planned for the township police department. New heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems are being explored to improve the comfort of the workers and to save money over the long term through better overall efficiency.

This project, which is in early phases, will include better interior lighting and updated work spaces for the officers.

Police Chief Thomas Vulakovich said the current HVAC system is over 18 years-old and is incredibly inefficient, and much of the office equipment has been in the building since its 1996 construction.