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Volunteers outline $118,000 estimate to replace slippery community center floor; council asks for more quotes
Summary
Volunteers and sports-program leaders told council the community center's concrete floor is slippery and hazardous for youth and older players; a vendor provided a verbal estimate near $118,000 and council asked staff to get multiple written quotes and invite a vendor to present next month.
Volunteers and program leaders told New Freedom Borough Council that the community center’s existing concrete floor is slippery, causing falls for players in indoor field hockey, pickleball and volleyball, and urged the borough to consider a urethane/epoxy resurfacing that vendors say can last about 25 years and be resurfaced rather than fully replaced.
At the meeting Brienne Monroe and a volunteer named Janelle described sample materials, explained that vendors spoke of a four-layer system with moisture-mitigation epoxy, and said the floor would be less slippery and easier to maintain. A verbal, not-yet-documented estimate from a vendor was cited in discussion as about $118,000. Presenters and councilors discussed possible funding sources including co-stars procurement for public entities, county local-share or Marcellus shale funds, corporate sponsorship, and fundraising led by the hockey organization.
Council asked staff and the volunteers to seek multiple written quotes and suggested inviting a company representative to make an in-person presentation to council. Staff and volunteers also emphasized technical checks — including verification that the manufacturer’s moisture-mitigation method and warranty would work on the existing slab — before significant expenditures. One council member urged hiring an independent inspector, not the floor salesperson, to confirm vapor-barrier mitigation will hold and the surface will not fail after installation.
Why it matters: The community center hosts youth and adult sports and community rentals; a safer, longer-lasting floor affects program participants' safety and the borough’s facility budget. The project could require large capital outlay or grant funding and will affect how the center is marketed for rentals.
Next steps: Council asked the volunteer group to return next month with multiple written estimates, and to arrange for a vendor representative and an independent technical review. Fundraising by user groups will continue and the borough did not commit taxpayer funds at this meeting.
