W-b Diamonds Shine In Debut Against Slamm

4 Players Hit Double Figures As Altoona Downs Hazleton

Sunday, January 11, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Hazleton only at half-time in fixing up Harman-Geist &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maybe a hazard sign would be appropriate. It could be mounted above the &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Harman-Geist stadium gates: ``Warning: Bone-eating turf! Car-cracking
flying objects! Use of this facility may be hazardous.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's not an image we embrace, but it is one we can foresee, if things don't
changeAs staffer Jennifer Learn reported Jan. 4, the Hazleton Area School
Board received letters from two orthopedists who complained field conditions
at Hazleton's vintage sports venue are causing student injuries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At the same time the board athletic committee learned this, district cross
country coach Lou Gunderman said the running track surrounding the field is
too narrow and dangerous. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Then Gunderman said the occasional stray discus has piloted itself out of
the stadium and onto parked cars. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All of which is distressing in its own right, but doubly so when we
remember extensive work was done on the stadium recently, including $11,000
spent on the turf doctors are decrying. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The stadium, now in its seventies, endured decades of neglect with only
sporadic efforts at rejuvenation, the most promising of which occurred in
1995, when the district joined with business donors and the Quarterback Club
to spiff up the memory-laden landmark. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We applauded that effort then, but clearly it wasn't enough. The stadium
needs a new heating system, maybe a new rubberized running track, and-
according to board member Ken Temborski- major repairs on the drainage system
beneath the sod. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Expensive stuff, and it's understandable that some voices have begun to
clamor for new facilities rather than restoration. Hazle Township officials
offered to lend land for a new rubberized running track, a move Temborski
discouraged, saying he'd rather build such a facility on land the district
owns. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 We agree. With the track cost estimated at anywhere from $50,000 to
$250,000, we instinctively ask: Why sink that kind of stake into someone
else's soil? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Besides, we prefer not to see district athletic facilities migrate too far
from the city. As quirky as Harman-Geist is, plopped in the middle of the city
where parking for big events can be an adventure, its central location is its
value. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The stadium could and should be a resource to bring people together and
promote Hazleton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Which is why the cost of its restoration ought not fall solely on the
shoulders of the school district. This is a perfect opportunity for one of
those private/public partnerships so increasingly popular in the 1990s, th

Hazleton Only At Half-time In Fixing Up Harman-geist 
Maybe A Hazard Sign Would Be Appropriate. It Could Be Mounted Above The 
Harman-geist Stadium Gates: ``warning: Bone-eating Turf! Car-cracking Flying 
Objects! Use Of This Facility May Be Hazardous.'' 
It's Not An Image We Embrace, But It Is One We Can Foresee, If Things Don't 
Change.