Collingwood Basketball Hoops to Remain Down

Shots were fired in Collingwood Park three weeks ago over a basketball game gone bad. Since then, the borough has removed the basketball hoops, deeming them a public safety hazard.

“We can’t have babies playing on swing sets and shooting going on in the basketball court all over a ball going out of bounds,” said Swissvale Mayor Deneen Swartzwelder during last week’s borough meeting.

While the police had been patrolling the Collingwood area heavily, a group of kids came back from a surrounding community with guns and started shooting after police had already attempted to disperse the crowd earlier, Swartzwelder said.

There were over 60 kids on the playground at this time.

Melvin Pollard, a previous resident of Swissvale, took to the microphone during public comment to represent Collingwood residents, he said.

Pollard wanted to know when the hoops would return.

“There needs to be a cooling down period. But I would like to know when those basketball courts will go back up so the rest of the community won’t have to suffer with lack activities,” Pollard said.

Swartzwelder said that there was no timeline for the hoops to return to Collingwood.

“There is no timeline, because right now if you drive down there, its very peaceful, and those residents deserve peace,” Swartzwelder said.

Memorial Park previously lost its basketball hoops due to the players constant use of profanity, Council President David Petrarca said.

The borough will consider adding new recreation to the area, but according to Swartzwelder safety is paramount to the borough.

“There are more concerns with public safety, than kids shooting hoops,” Swartzwelder said.