MILLSBORO — From its new headquarters, the Millsboro Police Department is soliciting community involvement, with an invitation for residents to join the hoopla.
A new basketball court, made possible by a donation from Mountaire Farms and designed by Davis, Bowen & Friedel, is part of the agency’s complex at 120 Railroad Ave.
Open for public use, the court is found behind the station, with activity typically picking up in the late afternoon.
“It’s very popular,” Chief Brian Calloway said this week. “If you go by the court daily, usually after 5 p.m., it’s busy.”
One recent player at the site, Tae Spencer, agreed, saying, “I think it’s pretty nice.”
The project’s cost, including hoops and nets, was about $75,000 and paid for by Mountaire Farms.
The idea came about during the design of the police headquarters, when Chief Calloway worked directly with the president of Davis Bowen & Friedel, Ring Lardner.
“We were talking about some challenges that we were currently having in Millsboro, with there being a lack of things for kids to do for activities,” the chief said. “And Davis, Bowen & Friedel was able to indicate, if we ever wanted to, there was enough room on that property to put a potential basketball court there.
“The reality was, it was going to be something that maybe we could do if we were able to raise money, find grant funding,” he continued. “It was a long shot, but we had worked with Mountaire Farms for other community events, whether it be Whiskers for Wishes, the Youth Academy. And they have always been very generous and very supporting of any of our initiatives.”
Chief Calloway said he was thrilled when the company decided to fund the entire effort.
“To our amazement, they certainly held up to that. Everything from the benches to the basketball hoops and nets has been paid for through Mountaire,” he said.
The court’s base is asphalt, topped with rubberized paint. It will hopefully last for a long time, the chief added.
The area is also under video surveillance. And, depending on grant funding, plans are to fence the court, to keep runaway basketballs from rolling into the adjacent road.
There’s been some challenges that have been addressed.
“I feel like the majority of the people that go there, they kind of police the facility. We had issues with trash, until we put trash cans there,” Chief Calloway said.
As part of the project, he continued, a free basketball tournament could be held in the fall.
“Mountaire also wants to partner with us (on it). They said they would be willing to provide chicken,” he said. “One thing that I can do well is, I can grill it. That would be my role.”
Chief Calloway anticipates that Millsboro police officers could team up as an entry, saying, “I have quite a few guys that played college sports. I have fit police officers. The one thing about police officers you’ll find is they are very competitive.”
The chief and the department view this as a positive addition.
“It is a park now that the town of Millsboro can really advertise to show that we are engaged and that there is more to do in Millsboro for young kids,” he said.
Most Popular
Comments / 0