Facilities

POINT STADIUM

History

The original charter for the City of Johnstown declared “… all that piece of ground called the Point shall be reserved for common public amusements for the use of the said town and its future inhabitants forever”. 

In November 1925, residents of the City authorized a $250,000 bond issue to build the Point Stadium on this site.  The first event held was a Middle Atlantic League baseball double header on July 5, 1926 between Johnstown and Clarksburg. Since 1946, the stadium has been the home of the All American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) tournament. Over the years, people synonymous with baseball such as Reggie Jackson, John Franco, Joe Torre, and Babe Ruth have played in the stadium during this national tournament.

Today

Johnstown's Point Stadium is a premier outdoor recreational     venue that hosts the Johnstown AAABA League, the Annual AAABA National Tournament, UPJ baseball, and other local colleges.          The Point is also the home to Bishop McCort High School football, baseball and soccer, and many Parochial League events.               During the 2007 Thunder in the Valley motorcycle rally, the Point    held its first outdoor concert since the new renovations were         completed.

ROXBURY PARK

Roxbury Park serves as the hub for all of the City’s summer recreation programs.  Located on 29.3 acres of land in the Roxbury neighborhood the park offers a multitude of recreation opportunities.

The park is the home of over 15 City sponsored sports leagues in addition to being used as
a practice and game field for high school sports and various fund raising and charity
events including Kiwanis Kids Day and the American Heart Association’s American Heart Walk.

Park Features

• 2 regulation baseball fields
• 2 pony league/softball fields
• 2 little league baseball fields
• 8 lighted tennis courts
• 2 lighted basketball courts
• 2 lighted racquetball courts
• 5 lighted volleyball courts
• 1 lighted roller hockey court
• A walking path
• Integrated playground
• Picnic Pavilions

If your group would like to rent a portion of the park for an event, contact Public Works at (814) 533-2061.  The following chart lists the cost based on event’s nature.

PLAYGROUNDS

The City offers 13 playgrounds in various neighborhoods throughout the City. All 13 have been refurbished within the past seven years with one, Woodland, to be rebuilt this year.  The City’s Recreation Department is responsible for the maintenance of these areas.

If you would like to report a safety or maintenance issue please call (814) 533-2061.

SANDYVALE MEMORIAL GARDENS & DOG PARK

History

Sandyvale is a pioneer cemetery that was developed by the Horner family and used by many first families when the City of Johnstown, Pennsylvania was established in 1800.  The veteran's graves date from the Revolutionary War through World War II.  Sandyvale has been a part of the fabric of the City and region for over two centuries.  In the early years it provided a gathering place for many community civic and social events.  It was a beautiful green spot in the pioneer days but with the industrial era and the development of the steel mills and plants and the birth of the railroad access to this industry, it came to be an area that was isolated and forgotten, sustaining extensive flood damage and neglect for many years.

Currently the site is 10.6 acres of flat grassy lawn and is the last large open green space in inner city Johnstown. 

A Master Plan program has been coordinated by the renowned design and landscape architectural firm of Marshall – Tyler – Rausch, LLC to preserve this historic location creating a beautiful, thriving, self-sustaining memorial botanical garden.

Goals/Plan

The following are goals related to the development of The Sandyvale Memorial Garden & Dog Park in the Hornerstown neighborhood of the City of Johnstown:

1. To develop the site of The Sandyvale Cemetery as a memorial garden and dog park, embracing local sentiment, appropriate design, sound planting and landscaping theory and practice --  thematically designed and planned. 
2. Construction of a greenhouse/conservatory and classroom area to conduct hands-on training for students, facilities for technicians, and workshops/seminars on horticulture for volunteers and the general public including the physically challenged.
3. To coordinate the implementation of the gardens project with existing and/or proposed open space, trail, historical and recreational facilities within the area, recognizing and building upon the linkages and interrelationships with these other projects.
4. The appropriate incorporation of statuary, fountains, water features, benches, gazebos, garden ornaments, and walking bridges.
5. To accommodate the horticultural interests of professional and private citizens, i.e. master gardeners, instructors, youth/student and volunteer groups as well as the general public.
6. To attract private, public and foundation assistance in the development and maintenance of the memorial garden facility.
7. The development of a visitor’s center and memorial wall honoring former citizens and veterans including family information, historical photographs of the era and memorabilia of Sandyvale, the City and region as relates to its history.
8. The tasteful, artful and sensitive use of remaining grave stones within the gardens in concert with the concept of Garden Cemeteries.
9. The delineation of activities and services which would serve the region, again sensitive to the original use of the site.

This project will act in concert with other planned and existing projects which encourage tourism and passive recreation, and enhance the beauty, aesthetics, culture and quality of life for the region.

For more information about the Sandyvale Memorial Gardens & Dog Park project please write to:

Attn:  Secretary

Sandyvale Memorial Gardens

P.O. Box 41

Johnstown, PA 15907

For information about sponsorship opportunities and naming rights for specialty gardens, teaching pavilion, visitor center, orangery, conservatory, statuary, fountains, etc. please e-mail inquiries to:  dmkdaylily@atlanticbb.net or call 814-266-7891 or 814-266-3873, or you can write to the above-referenced address. 

Descendants of those buried at Sandyvale are asked to please contact the Secretary so that your personal family tree may be added to the data base being created for the on-site library.

Donations to the Sandyvale Endowment Fund can be sent to:

The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies

116 Market Street, Suite #4

Johnstown, PA 15901

*Sandyvale Memorial Garden & Dog Park is operated by The Sandyvale Cemetery Association, Inc. and has a 501(c)3 designation – all donations and contributions are tax deductible