City Parks of Clarksburg (West Virginia) to unveil new facilities, expanded lineup at Amp

Parks employees are also working to complete two projects at the Veterans Memorial Park before Memorial Day, including a new pickleball court and updates to the mini-golf course.

The pickleball courts will take the place of the VA Memorial Park tennis courts, which have already been torn up.

Depending on the weather the area receives over the next two months, the project could take until mid-June to complete. However, Clarksburg Parks Superintendent Doug Comer is hopeful of a Memorial Day weekend grand opening.

The curing process for the asphalt and acrylic can take as long as 30 days. However, Comer is looking at using a different kind of acrylic that only necessitates the asphalt to cure for 14 days.

The mini-golf area has been entirely redone with numerous trees and years of vegetation being removed, as well as new carpet being added.

“The revenue [at the mini-golf course] had not been what we want. It was neglected and became stale. [But] we’ve got a few surprises for people when it opens,” he said.

Upon reopening, the mini-golf course will have extended hours to give people more opportunities to utilize it, Comer said.

The Parks Department is also working to replace the equipment at four city playgrounds this summer.

Every year, two city parks receive new playground equipment, and the parks in the Hartland area and on Harrison Street were set to receive their installations this year.

The parks at Glen Elk and in Glenwood Hills also may see new equipment as it was delivered last year, but the department was unable to find a contractor to install it.

The work would not take place until the pickleball courts have been completed, Comer said.

The Parks Department also will expand the number of both ticketed and free events at the VA Park Amphitheater this year, said Parks Recreation Coordinator Trevor DeVaul.

In total, there will be three more ticketed events this year than last year, DeVaul said.

“We’re trying to take it up a notch this year,” he said.

The amphitheater will be showcasing new genres of music, including an R&B show by the group Tony! Toni! Toné!, as well as Grammy-Award winning R&B legends the Commodores.

Other acts already announced include concerts by country stars Lee Brice and Scotty McCreery, as well as rock legend and Hall of Famer Don Felder, formerly of The Eagles.

DeVaul also said he wants to host an expanded version of their back-to-school event at the end of summer.

“Where we had three inflatables and six games last year, this year we’ll have five inflatables and 10 games, plus more food trucks,” he said.

And a children’s concert is being planned for the amphitheater for a date in July, DeVaul said.

After some public concern last year, the Parks Department worked closely with contractors to repair the surface of the Splash Zone as some children and families had reported sharp spurs causing feet injuries.

Contractors from Paddock Pools in Rockville, Maryland, who completed the resurfacing work, utilized frog suits, dove beneath the surface and, using diamond-tipped cutters, sanded off abrasive bits of surface that had caused injury, said Clarksburg Parks Superintendent Doug Comer.

However, even after this initial remedy, more spurs were found as more injuries occurred, Comer said, so parks employees utilized diamond cutters of their own to further remediate.

As work to smooth the surface continued week after week last year, complaints of injury decreased, Comer said.

The Splash Zone pool will be power washed and the entrance areas near the children’s slide and lazy river will be “looked at with a fine tooth comb,” Comer said, in order to ensure no injuries occur.

“We did a good job with it last year. However, it will always be a concern, and we’re taking all calls and complaints seriously,” Comer said.