SARATOGA SPRINGS — The city of Saratoga Springs cut the ribbon on a new, multi-use sports area at the Scott T. Johnson Recreation Center this week, boasting six goal cages that recess into the mesh network and a pair of basketball hoops - with nylon nets intact and in place - standing tall at opposite ends.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 25 included current City Council members Jason Golub and James Montagnino, and former city Mayor Scott Johnson - after whom the adjoining recreation facility on Vanderbilt Avenue is named.
Johnson, who served three two-year terms as Saratoga Springs mayor from 2007-2013, is largely credited for helping make the near-34,000 square foot recreation facility a reality. The $6 million facility had been more than a decade in the making, facing council debates, outspoken community protests and a series of legal challenges prior to its public unveiling in the summer of 2010.
Thirteen years later, Johnson led the assembled group to shout “Play Ball” when the ribbon was cut on the count of three along the new sports court.
The Recreation Department oversaw the 70’x37’ sports court project using funds from the Sub-Division Recreation Fund and the Recreation Facility Capital budget.
The Department of Public Works prepared the site and paved the court, and the Department of Public Safety’s traffic division painted lines on the court.
“The completion of this sport court is part of the Mayor’s Office initiatives to bring more opportunities for recreation to our community,” current city Mayor Ron Kim said, in a statement.
