FERGUSON TOWNSHIP — Local leaders and community members celebrated the opening of the long-awaited and recently completed first phase of Whitehall Road Regional Park with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community event on Wednesday afternoon.
The 50-acre first phase of the 100-acre park, located at 1954 Blue Course Drive Extension in Ferguson Township, represents a $6.4 million investment in recreation and community space.
Features include a 15,000-square-foot “We Play Together” all-abilities playground designed for inclusive play, the Mascolo Garden, two tournament-sized multipurpose fields with LED lighting, two medium-sized grass fields, 2 miles of walking trails with a connection to the Musser Gap Greenway, pollinator gardens, a Story Walk curated with Schlow Library, ADA-compliant restrooms and parking, and a new CRPR maintenance facility.
A shaded pavilion and concession area are scheduled to be constructed in 2025–26 with secured grant, donation and municipal funding.
Discussions for the park date back to 2002, and in 2008 Penn State and local governments created a subdivision plan for a portion of a larger property off of Whitehall Road acquired by the university from the Mellon Family Trust a decade earlier.
By 2011, 100 acres were sold to Ferguson Township and the Centre Region Council of Governments for development of the regional park. Progress on the park slowed over the years due to litigation over a nearby housing development, construction delays, supply chain disruptions and stormwater management issues that have since been resolved.
Funding ultimately came from a regional parks loan supported by the five COG municipalities that participate in Centre Region Parks and Recreation — State College Borough and College, Ferguson, Harris and Patton townships as well as grants, private donations and business contributions.
As families explored the new facilities, the celebration also featured booths from community organizations including the Geisinger Health Foundation, Schlow Library, the Alpha Fire Company, and others offering information, activities and demonstrations for attendees. The displays highlighted the regional partnerships that helped bring the park to life.
Centre Region Parks and Recreation director Kristy Owens said the park’s completion is the result of persistence through a series of challenges.
“Standing here looking out at this park, filled with families, children and community members, I can’t help but reflect on the long journey it took to get here,” Owens said. “Every challenge seemed larger than life, yet our contractors and our staff never gave up, chasing down numerous trail washouts, reworking grades, reseeding, watering and pivoting whenever the unexpected happened. This park has truly been touched by many hands, past directors, engineers and authority members, municipal leaders and donors who helped carry this through the design changes, scope adjustments and countless delays. We faced challenges beyond our control, pandemic delays, supply chain shortages, turnover and unpredictable weather, yet each setback only reinforced our determination to see this project through…
“It’s about giving families a place to gather, children, a place to play, athletes, a place to compete, and everybody a chance to embrace the natural beauty of this land here in the region. As we look forward to future phases, we remain committed to ensuring that every space we create is welcoming and inclusive.”
Centre Region Council of Governments executive director Ben Estell noted that the park reflects the benefits of regional collaboration.
“Whitehall Road Regional Park has been years in the making, and it stands here today because our communities chose to work together,” Estell said. “This park is proof that when we take a regional view, where we pool our ideas, our resources…Parks mean different things to different people, a place for Saturday soccer, a venue that brings visitors and stairs economic development or simply a space to breathe. By planning as a region, we heard all of those voices.”
Estell added that collaboratively creating a shared space leads to a stronger community.
“Regional projects create not just facilities, but gathering places,” he said. “The all-abilities playground here has already become a hub. Children of all abilities play side by side, while parents and grandparents connect with one another. It is a reminder when we share space, we build friendships, trust and a sense of belonging that stretches across borders.”
The ceremony also included recognition of community contributions. Kathy Madison and Rich Francke were awarded with certificates of distinguished service, while Ferguson Township Board of Supervisors vice chair Omari Patterson, Happy Valley Sports & Entertainment Alliance executive director Eric Engelbarts and representatives of the Geisinger Health Foundation shared remarks.
The program concluded with remarks from Margo Mascolo, daughter of the late Sue and Richard Mascolo, early champions of the project.
“This moment is deeply personal to me,” she said. “[Sue and Richard Mascolo] believed wholeheartedly in the potential that it could do to serve the communities at large. And so they persevered. And I believe that when there is good to be done, communities come together, and they prevail. And in this case, that is what happened.”
Centre Region Parks and Rec plans to continue expanding the park’s amenities and features over the years.
“Today, we celebrate not just the opening of a park but a promise to continue building spaces where everybody belongs,” Owens said.
Whitehall Road Regional Park is open daily from dawn until dusk.
