PATTON — Borough Council members said they will not move forward with a project to install a miniature golf course in Patton Park, but are open to other proposed fundraisers to help give the park a facelift.

During the council’s meeting Tuesday evening, Mark Stephens of the Preserving Patton nonprofit group said he heard rumors the council was not going to move forward with the golf project and asked them to confirm their decision.

Council Vice President Ray Keith said “it wasn’t a good fit” for the park right now because so many other golf courses in the area have closed down in recent years.

“There were five or six of them going around the area, now there’s like one or two,” he said, adding the council’s study revealed it would have cost too much to operate and maintain a golf course.

Stephens said he still thinks the golf course would have raised money for the park and gave summer jobs to some kids.

“Many people in town wanted a miniature golf course to be placed at the park,” Stephens said, adding former members of the borough’s park and recreation committee — as well as previous iterations of the council — were in favor of the idea.

The borough’s efforts to install a miniature golf course began in 2015 when Stephens was a council member.

He said Al Yeager of Chest Ridge Golf Center donated the center’s golf balls and putters when it closed in 2015 to kickstart the project.

He said interns were hired to raise money, which was used to conduct a feasibility study in 2017 and have an architectural drawing of a golf course in the park made.

Stephens said it’s “unfortunate” the younger generation in the Patton, Hastings and Carrolltown area won’t get to experience the fun of playing golf at the park.

“If you had a miniature golf course there would be something in this town to do,” he said.

Stephens told council members he plans to start a crowdfunding campaign for Patton Park and asked council members how his group could help restore the park’s beauty.

After visiting the park on Friday, Stephens said he noticed a lack of mulch and dirt around a swing set near the borough’s swimming pool. He said the park is “torn up” and is in need of improvements.

Last year, the nonprofit received a $7,500 grant from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies to purchase a filtration motor pump, which officials said will be installed before the pool opens this year.

“If you come up with anything that you need for that, let me know and we can maybe get a grant to help get more landscape work done down there,” Stephens told council members at the meeting.

Keith said if Stephens can get money for the park, the council members are all on board with his efforts. Keith said about three park pavilions are also in need of roof repairs.

In other business, following an executive session, the council members accepted the resignations of Jennifer Sunseri, Valerie Kovall and Kelly Patrick from the borough’s parks and recreation committee and appointed Lisa Helbig to fill out Sunseri’s term.

The borough also appointed Travis Shilling to fill out Kovall’s remaining term.

None of the former or newly appointed members attended the meeting.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.