By Richard Zowie
Leader Staff Writer

Cost to Oxford Township taxpayers for the new asphalt basketball court at Seymour Lake Township Park ? $0.
Seeing the looks on the faces of hoopsters because there’s a brand-new court in the township ? priceless.
On Aug. 19, fresh asphalt was laid down in Seymour Lake Park for a brand new basketball court. Once the asphalt settles, court lines will be painted the week after Labor Day free of charge by Oxford residents Lee Lowis and his son, Austen Lowis, a 2004 Oxford High graduate.
The father owns the Auburn Hills-based Surface Coatings while the son owns the Clarkston-based Sport Coatings.
Baskets leftover from when the middle school was converted into the high school will be used to complete the court.
According to Oxford Township Parks and Recreation Director Ron Davis, the entire project should be done in about three weeks.
Davis said the new basketball court came about thanks to some leftover materials and a couple of generous companies.
Using $19,000 in grant money and $6,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, the township recently installed an asphalt walkway, compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, extending from the parking lot to the concession stand at Seymour Lake Park.
Asphalt was purchased from the Clarkston-based Cadillac Asphalt while Clarkston-based Allied Construction did the paving.
During the walkway project, Davis approached Allied about donating the labor to lay a new basketball court. Allied said they’d truck in the material and do the work if Cadillac donated the asphalt.
The next thing you know a new basketball court was born.
Eric Swanson, a minority owner with Allied, said that though this type of asphalt is very expensive, the job didn’t take long to complete.
‘This is something the company likes to do now and then,? he said.
This goodwill gesture was quite a sacrifice on Allied Construction’s part since, according to Swanson, his company will lose around six figures in what he has described as a ‘terrible year for construction.?
The donation of the basketball court joins the list of the many donated items at Seymour Lake Park. The bathrooms, Kids Kingdom, the sled hill, the disk golf course, a soccer complex and several parking lots were all done with previous contributions.
Davis said that this many donations to a park are unusual and speak volumes of what Parks and Rec has done and what it stands for.
‘It shows that these businesses have faith in our department as far as exposure and in enhancing the quality of life,? he said.
Both the walkway and the basketball court are worth a combined $50,000, according to Davis. The only money the township had to invest was $6,000 in CDBG funds, meaning the projects represent a savings of $44,000 to local taxpayers.
‘Instead of budgeting for capital improvements or raising taxes, we go out and find creative ways to make things happen and save a tremendous amount of money,? Davis said. ‘On the flip side, it brings a tremendous amount of money into the community from people who come to play games.?
Additional facilities like this provide additional employment opportunities, Davis added, saying that they’re able to hire more people for things like maintenance and programs.