CELORON — The village of Celoron and the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel have completed a new basketball court in the Celoron Village Park.

The courts will officially open at 3 p.m. today. Scott Schrecengost, Celoron mayor, will be joined by David Hart, president and CEO of Hart Hotels Inc. and managing partner of the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, at the opening.

During construction of the hotel in 2018, Hart and his hotel partner Peter Krog, chairman of the The Krog Group, announced plans to contribute the full cost to replace the old village basketball court with a new modern court.

Lake Shore Paving designed and paved a new full-size blacktop surface and contributed the cost of the court striping. Two new adjustable height goals with full-size glass backboards were also installed. The court has lights for evening play.

The village has been planning a number of upgrades to the park as a compliment to the Chautauqua Harbor Hotel, which opened across the street from the park last year. On June 25, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new boardwalk that extends the length of the village park shoreline.

New benches were recently added around the park, and new restrooms are also being planned.

“The Village Park is one of our important community recreation assets,” Schrecengost said. “We are seeing increased tourist and community use of the park since the hotel opened. We want to continue these important investments to enhance the quality of life in the village. We thank David Hart and Peter Krog for their vision and generosity”

A news conference on the court’s opening will be held at the park at 3 p.m. today. Kayla Crosby, executive director of # Integrity First Inc., and owner of the Jamestown Jackals professional basketball team, will join the festivities with the team’s new general manager and a few players from the 2019 team.

Following the news conference, Jackals players will conduct a free basketball clinic for area elementary school aged girls and boys.

“We recognize the value a vibrant community will have on our business,” Hart said. “The community support during the planning and construction of the hotel and during the past year of open operations has been tremendous. It is our pleasure to give back the community as a thank you for all the support we’ve received.”