Newly repaired track at Riverside Park in Oakmont ready for competition
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Riverview High School track and field athletes may have home meets for the first time in several seasons.
The track in the lower section of Riverside Park in Oakmont is ready for competition after New York-based Nagle Athletic Surfaces completed its replacement project.
Repairs were completed in June, and the track was closed for a couple of days last week as Nagle crews painted the lines and numbers.
Riverview student athletes were forced to compete outside the borough the past two years when it was determined the track did not meet competition standards.
Some of the lanes had been damaged by tree roots that pushed the track up and made it uneven. The high school team had to begin rescheduling its meets in March 2018.
The borough owns and maintains the park. The all-weather track was purchased from Nagle about seven years ago.
Council awarded the $61,000 repair contract to Nagle in February 2019. The company submitted the lowest of three bids received. Environmental Planning & Design prepared project specifications.
Construction was delayed as council sought grant funding to expand the scope of work and again when construction projects were shuttered statewide because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Funds were secured for the project through the state Department of Community and Economic Development’s Greenways, Trails and Recreation program. It was a matching $140,000 grant, with Oakmont covering about half. Council budgeted $70,000 for track repairs.
The total contract was $130,420 after the borough added line painting.
Riverview Athletic Director Mario Rometo said Monday via email that he has been working from home and hadn’t gone to see the completed and lined track.
“I’ve heard from the park crew that it’s looking good and ready for use,” Rometo said. “It is my hope that we will have a spring sports season this year.”
Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League officials have not yet made a determination if there will be track and field in the spring because of the covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re just concerned right now with today and to try to get through the fall season,” said Vince Sortino, WPIAL assistant to the executive director. “Hopefully, everything will work out come the spring.”
Track season runs from the beginning of March through late April with invitationals and championships in May.