The Blair County Commissioners have decided renovation of the ticket booth building at the Blair County Ball Park will continue into June.
The decision was made because the ticket booth building, which is attached to the stadium, continues to settle and sink into the ground. This constant shifting causes the mortar of the ticket booth to crack and the door frames to be uneven.
About two years ago, an effort was made to solve the problem by digging out the concrete floor of the building and by repouring the concrete . However, the ticket booth is built on fill, so it continues to sink.
“What we believe is there is some underground springs there that are deteriorating the compaction in the fill and washing things away,” said Commissioner John Eichelberger.
He explained the problem with the ticket booth is that one end of the building adheres to the stadium, so it stays firmly attached while the other part that is unattached settles further into the ground, which causes uneven settlement.
The building is not a safety hazard, and the average person would probably not even notice the problem.
“But when you spend a lot of money on a project like we have at the ball park, we like things to be perfect,” added Eichelberger.
The commissioners are working with engineers and others to brainstorm ways to repair the ticket booth. A $10,000 grant from the state has been obtained to begin working on the project, and it should be completed within the next two months.
Other business discussed at the commissioners’ meeting included:
• New contracts for Nason Hospital and Altoona School District to support Smoking Cessation Programs;
• Adoption of a resolution to declare a snow disaster and state of emergency in February for Blair County so that municipalities can obtain state relief money;
• Authorization of grants, one for Community Emergency Response Teams in the amount of $4,800;
• Approved ongoing Community Development Block Grant programs;
• Authorized advertising for the prison expansion project, and advertising will begin in the next couple of weeks.
