Entrance to Highland Heights Community Park to Be Repaired

Since the city may move the entrance in the future, officials are opting for a cheaper fix for the road leading into .

Options included rebuilding the road with a 7-inch-thick layer of asphalt, which would cost $250,000 to $300,000. Or the city could spend $175,000 to $200,000 for a "glorified driveway" with 4 inches of asphalt, Assistant City Engineer Brian Mader said.

Instead, city officials choose a "double chip and seal" method, with two layers of stone chips covered with a sealant top. Potholes will be patched before the layers of chips are added. Mader said this approach will cost $95,000 for the entrance and another $45,000 for Woodside Road.

"You're just buying time with this," said Mader, who estimated the repair would last five or six years. "If you're not going to move the entrance, I recommend going with a full asphalt road."

He said a 7-inch-thick asphalt road would last 12 to 15 years. That sounded like a better idea to Councilman Robert Mastrangelo.

"I just think if we're going to do it, let's fix it right," Mastrangelo said.

Councilwoman Cathy Murphy said it was important that worked get started quickly.

"For any of us who have taken a ride in the park, we know we need to address this issue," she said.

Mader said the repair work should take about a week. However, if weather does not cooperate there is a chance work will not be done before baseball and softball seasons are in full swing in June.

If that's the case, city officials said the road off of Wilson Mills Road can be used as an entrance only and Woodside Road would serve as the park's sole exit.