BOPARC's Krepps Park Project in Chaos, Literally Underwater

In April, the Dominion Post reported that BOPARC would do a "total replacement" of the Krepps Park tennis, pickleball and basketball courts after "years of patching and resurfacing."

By July, the new surface was laid. However, residents soon noticed the courts were uneven, forming giant puddles dubbed the “Krepps Park Pond” on social media.

Despite the July heatwave, the standing water remained, covering nearly half the court. Athletic courts need to be flat to avoid rainfall accumulation.

Mysteriously ignoring the obvious issues, BOPARC continued installing fencing, nets and painting lines on the botched court. Residents raised concerns on social media and by phone after realizing the city was attempting to pawn off the swampy courts to the public. After public backlash, BOPARC reversed course.

So, what happened? Low spots in a pavement surface are called depressions. According to the Washington Asphalt Paving Association, depressions are caused by a subgrade settlement from inadequate compaction during construction or frost heaves. Since no frosts occurred in June, improper oversight is likely the cause.

Now, how can we fix it? Asphalt experts at the Paving Association write, "depressions should be repaired by removing the affected pavement then digging out and replacing the area of poor subgrade." Unfortunately, BOPARC opted for a lipstick-on-a-pig approach. By simply patching the depressions, you ignore potential subgrade foundational issues.

The Paving Association warns, "a patch is considered a defect no matter how well it performs." Paving companies confirm that patching is a "temporary" fix. Patching will not solve the underlying problem of poor compaction. Therefore, the patched area may continue to sink which means future park closures and more tax dollars flowing out to certain people.

Ironically, the purpose of splurging so much money on the "total replacement" was to get rid of the old court's haphazard patches and low-quality resurfacing. In typical Morgantown fashion, we can never seem to have anything nice without private donors like Milan Puskar and Hazel Ruby McQuain. Local city leaders always find a way to squander the citizens' tax monies, including the latest $5.3M levy on property owners and imposing a new sales tax of 1% on every single purchase made in Morgantown.

The $187,722 total replacement project started in May when BOPARC erected a sign outside Krepps Park stating 4 dedicated pickleball courts would be installed. This proved untrue. Only 2 dedicated pickleball courts were constructed. Construction plans for the project also show an 18% shrinkage of the existing court surface.

Executive Director Melissa Wiles told the Dominion Post in April that the overall footprint change "will not be significant." Some Morgantown residents disagree.

One active community member told WVMAD, "The courts were already crowded. Even on weekdays, you have to wait around for others to finish their games."

BOPARC also claimed the closure would only last until around July 30th. This proved untrue.

In August, residents noticed the sign had the opening date marked out with a black marker. Handwritten above: August. On their website, BOPARC told residents eager to finally get outside and play this year that they would be able to do so at the end of August. This also proved false. The timelines have now been completely removed from the website.

As of the publication of this story in mid-September, the courts are still closed.

We reached out to BOPARC's top management including Executive Director Melissa Wiles, Assistant Director Marissa Travinski, and Manager of Parks, Grounds, Facilities & Trails, Thomas "Tommy" Moore. Over a week later, we have not received any response.

What do you think, Morgantown? Should we cut BOPARC some slack, or is there a pattern of negligence and perhaps bad actors within the government of our beautiful city?

UPDATE: City of Morgantown Panics, Shuts off Social Media Comments