The maligned Greenville sports complex project -- now an estimated $200,000 over budget, 16 months behind schedule and on hold -- was the focal point of a town hall meeting hosted Thursday by borough council.

The meeting, reserved for public comments and official responses, was the first of four slated for this year. It drew about 50 people and lasted just more than an hour.

David P. Henderson, a councilman and board president of Greenville Area Leisure Services Association, fielded most questions regarding the project.Henderson said the borough has sent certified letters to project contractors, giving them 10 days to fix problems at the 42-acre site in West Salem Township.

If the problems aren't fixed within 10 days, it could "take a community effort to get the fields ready for play" this year and bonding companies' money to fix problems and see the project through. The soccer and softball fields currently "aren't perfect, but they're playable ... and they take water well," Henderson said.

He said the borough could use the fields before all of the problems at the complex are fixed without being liable for the problems, because the bonding companies "were given legal notice that something was wrong with the project."

The borough sent certified letters to bonding companies for the seven contractors Thursday, Henderson said. The borough also sent project manager Pashek & Associates, Pittsburgh, a copy of the letter and demanded certain paperwork from the firm, Henderson said.

"We don't have all of the change orders," Henderson said. The project, estimated to cost $1.8 million, has cost more than $2 million to date, according to borough estimates.

Resident Gary Beatty said the project may have been doomed from the start. The "alarming range of bids" for the project -- initial bids for an excavating contract were between $1.8 million and $3.8 million -- should have "indicated someone was not meeting their specs," he said.

Henderson added that the borough cannot find any copies of construction minutes -- which detail daily goings-on in a project -- from Oct. 2000 to the present, either.

The Citizens Steering Committee on Recreational Projects said last month that the project was riddled with problems that must be fixed.

Since then, a team of area residents -- many of them local contractors not working on the project -- have dug through hundreds of pages of project paperwork and inspected the project site for the committee. Also, an engineer hired by the state has taken pictures of many of the problems at the site, which are contained in a photo album, Henderson said.

About a month ago, James Pashek told The Herald he has was willing to work with the borough to solve any problems.

"We will certainly respond and be helpful. No one wants this kind of situation. Maybe we can clear up the issue and resolve things," he said. "Of course, we have given them copies of all of the documents that we have. We would be happy to do so again."

One problem that is unlikely to threaten the project generated the most response from residents.

Asked about policies governing dogs and their droppings at the complex, Henderson said, "With all of the major problems going on, I never thought about dog poop."

It took a second or two for residents to digest the revelation. Then they chuckled along with Henderson.

It was the first light-hearted moment at a council meeting in months.

A dog policy -- such as posting signs like ones at Riverside Park that remind owners to scoop up their dogs' droppings -- will be looked into, Henderson said.