Bank donates to park in Zelie
ZELIENOPLE — Northwest Saving Bank will donate $60,000 over three years to the Zelienople Park to help pay for improvements there.
The bank will present the Friends of the Park a check for $20,000 at 3:45 p.m. Wednesday at the Zelienople Community Park. The $20,000 donation, one of three during the next three years, will help pay on a loan for improvements to athletic courts.
Chad Applequist, the bank’s Zelienople office manager, said the bank is happy to help improve the park.
“We feel Zelienople’s Friends of the Park is an organization touched by everyone in the community, and we want to be supportive as much as possible,” Applequist said. “We are a community-driven bank and want to be as big of a part of the community as we can.”
In attendance for the check ceremony will be Northwest Savings Bank’s district manager Ben Jamieson, regional President Christopher Martin and Applequist.
The friends association, which is a nonprofit group, was formed to preserve and enhance the park.
Alecia Flood, who is on the Friends of the Park board and also is the park manager, said the money will help pay off the $100,000 loan that was used to improve the sports court area.
“We’re so ecstatic,” Flood said. “We are so thrilled that they stepped up to help.”
The newly resurfaced sports court will be renamed the Northwest Sports Court, said Flood, who is also the Zelienople parks and recreation director.
Renovations to the tennis courts included resurfacing, replacing the nets and posts and repairs to the fence. The basketball court was relocated to the sports courts area and received a new surface, a drainage control system and a 12-foot chain-link fence.
The sports court also will feature a new youth tennis and pickle ball court.
Flood said pickle ball is like tennis, but a bigger ball is used and players stand closer to the net.
