Under Construction: New Basketball Court, Playground On Weber Drive

The first game of hoops at Port Chester's newest basketball court could happen as early as June.

Contractors are well ahead of schedule on a $188,000 project for a new basketball court and playground on Weber Drive, on property owned by the . Thanks to the unusually warm winter construction has not been slowed by snow or frozen ground, and the new playground and court could open by June 1, according to Daniel Colangelo, the housing authority's executive director.

The playground is designed for children up to 12 years old. It'll be used by neighborhood kids, as well as children who attend a Head Start pre-school program held in a nearby community room in public housing, Colangelo said.

The playground and court project was funded by a mix of housing authority money and a Community Development Block Grant. The CDBG grant covers $130,000 (*), with the housing authority picking up the rest.

Federal funds are allocated through CDBG grants in three-year cycles. In the most recent cycle, the Port Chester Housing Authority used grant money to finance a new security camera system covering three of five public housing buildings in Port Chester, roofing improvements, and new windows in senior housing units on Drew Street and Terrace Avenue.

The Port Chester Housing Authority has applied for grants to cover a range of new projects in the current three-year cycle, including electrical upgrades at the Weber Drive building, a new roof at the Traverse Avenue building, and playgrounds at public housing buildings at Traverse and Purdy avenues. The latter are twin six-story elevator high-rises, which along with Weber Drive offer a combined 216 (*) units. Units range from small one-bedroom apartments, to large four-bedroom apartments that can accomodate larger families.

Those projects are put on hold for the time being because Westchester County cannot release Community Development Block Grants . Although Port Chester isn't part of the settlement -- the federal government deems the village sufficiently diverse -- all federal grants distributed through the county are frozen until Westchester meets the requirements of the settlement.

CORRECTION: The CDBG grant for the playground and basketball court is $130,000. The security camera system funded by a previous CDBG grant covers the properties at Weber Drive, as well as Traverse and Purdy avenues. The system does not cover the remaining two buildings owned by the Port Chester Housing Authority.

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