Photos, Video: Surprise! Mayor Honored at Ribbon Cutting

He didn't get it.

Then, as Phoenixville Mayor Leo Scoda, donning a purple tennis windbreaker, made his way through on Saturday morning, it started to sink in. He spotted his brother, who came down from upstate. His grandkids played in the grass, and current and former tennis players all helped make up a circle ready to greet Scoda as he stepped across the grass.

State Sen. Andy Dinniman greeted him with a hug, and then as Scoda made his way through it became clear that the morning wouldn't turn out how he'd expected it.

"What we're doing here is we're dedicating something to you," Council President Richard Kirkner told a still baffled Scoda.

A new pavilion erected in Fisher Park, where Scoda coached so many kids over the years and where he runs his summer tennis program, was named "Coach Scoda Pavilion" in honor of the mayor, coach and former teacher.

Scoda has served as the borough's mayor since 1998, and he began coaching tennis more than three decades ago. Dinniman said he recalled speaking to Scoda about running for mayor. Now retired from teaching, Scoda taught biology to Phoenixville students for many years. Dinniman asked Scoda at that time if many of the kids he taught had stuck around the Phoenixville area.

"And he looked at me and he said, 'Nevermind the kids. Their grandkids are here,'" Dinniman said. "So I said you're going to win and you're not going to have any trouble."

As Scoda made his way through the crowd, giving out hugs, he was ribbed about his love of yard sales and how he'd had to miss them that morning.

During his own brief speech in front of the pavilion, Scoda joked about how he'd been tricked by his son into coming to the park, and said he would have otherwise been at yard sales, hoping to snap up some good deals on Phillies goods after the team's loss. The ceremony was a complete surprise, Scoda told the crowd.

"Nobody slipped up," Scoda said.

In addition to Dinniman, who presented Scoda with a citation from the state senate, Rep. Warren Kampf spoke briefly, County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone offered a citation and said a few words and several borough council members came out to support the mayor. The fire chief, members of the fire company and the police chief were also in attendance on the sunny Saturday morning.

During the ceremony, a fireman perched at the top of a ladder dumped tennis balls down from a basket onto the metal roof, bringing laughs from the crowd and giving the kids in attendance something to play with during the dedication.

Dinniman called Scoda "America's mayor," saying he embodied the spirit of Phoenixville. Cozzone touted Scoda's dedication to the community.

Following a quick snip of a ribbon and the unveiling of the plaque, which will be placed on the front of the pavilion, the crowd chowed down on tennis racket shaped soft pretzels. A concrete pad is the last piece left to complete, and then the Coach Scoda Pavilion will be done.

Funding for the pavilion came from a $10,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.