Trees near Austintown Park basketball, tennis courts cut down due to black mold

AUSTINTOWN A number of longstanding trees near the basketball and tennis courts at Austintown Township Park have been cut down in hopes of eliminating black mold growing on court surfaces.

Some community members questioned why the trees, which were there before the park was established, were eliminated.

"The pine trees were causing the black mold to keep reappearing," Austintown Township Park Supervisor Todd Shaffer said. "My thought is if we take the pine trees down, that's going to eliminate the black mold on the courts and save us about $4,000 each year."

The $4,000 it will save was used to have a company clean the mold from the courts each year.

Park maintenance crews can't clean the courts themselves because of the chemicals used in the process. To get certified to use those chemicals, maintenance members would have to take a three-day course in Columbus.

Shaffer said the tree roots are starting to come up underneath the basketball court, leading to the asphalt lifting up. That's causing issues with the court and underground utility lines that run through the area.

The plan is to replant new trees or bushes along the basketball courts in the future.

The park plants 20-40 new trees each year.