CENTRE COUNTY — ClearWater Conservancy and Rush Township have received grants for two separate projects totaling more than $200,000 awarded by the Commonwealth Financing Authority under its Watershed and Restoration Program and Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program.
ClearWater received $133,672 to acquire a conservation easement on the Pasquinelli property in Ferguson Township.
The projects aim to enhance recreational opportunities for area residents and protect the environment, according to state Sen. Jake Corman, R-Benner, and state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte. They announced the grants on Sept.
17.
“When it comes to the natural beauty of central Pennsylvania, our area is unrivaled,” Corman said. “These projects are crucial to protecting our natural resources and providing area residents with opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. I’m pleased that this funding will help to give way to a greater appreciation of our surroundings.”
“It’s important that we preserve our outdoor areas so we all have the opportunities to step away from our hectic lives and enjoy our region’s beautiful natural resources.”
State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff
(R-Bellefonte)
“It’s important that we preserve our outdoor areas so we all have the opportunities to step away from our hectic lives and enjoy our region’s beautiful natural resources,” Benninghoff said. “This grant is a strategic investment in preserving the local environment and providing a chance for families to enjoy being outside.”
The Rush Township project will include the installation of new accessible play equipment units, picnic tables, bike racks, benches, grills, trash receptacles, signage and fencing. It will also include the replacement of rubber surfacing under play equipment, repair of basketball equipment and the play area, planting of two shade trees and construction of accessible parking spaces with adjacent walkways and a walking trail.
The project will provide a safe and accessible facility for the residents of the township and surrounding areas. The total project cost is $78,033.
Township engineer Michelle Merrow, from Alder Run Engineering, said the funding is a “tremendous benefit to the township.
“This project will include major improvements to the safety at the park, including fencing and improvements to the surfacing under the playground equipment,” she said. “A gravel walking path will be provided, which is a tremendous benefit in a neighborhood where sidewalks are not present.
“We are also excited that the project will include major improvements to the accessibility of the park in the form of an accessible parking space and walking path from the parking space to the equipment and pavilion, and new accessible equipment including swings,” she continued. “The surfacing under the equipment will also be accessible, meaning that everyone
can use the new equipment, which will make the park somewhat different from the other local park facilities.
“The park is used by a wide variety of users for play and for events such as reunions and Easter egg hunts, and we are very pleased to be able to provide these improvements that will improve the experience of all park visitors,” said Merrow.
She said once the township receives final contract documents from the commonwealth, the final design phase of the project will begin. The hope is to start construction in late winter or early spring.
“Our hope is to have the project construction completed prior to June 1 of 2020, by the time the children are out of school for the summer, but we’ve allowed some time in our scheduling for contingency events, such as the rainy weather we’ve had in past years,” said Merrow.
ClearWater plans to acquire a 22.85-acre perpetual conservation easement on the property, known as Windy Hill Farm, as part of a landscape-scale conservation effort to protect source water known as the Slab Cabin Run Initiative. Several important natural areas, critical wildlife habitat and an open space buffer to the Musser Gap Greenway are the basis for the project.
“ClearWater’s perpetual conservation easement on the Pasquinelli Property will ensure Windy Hill Farm is conserved forever,” said Deb Nardone, executive director of ClearWater. “The Pasquinellis will continue to live on and farm their property. Much like the work we did on the Everhart and Meyer properties in 2017 as part of the Slab Cabin Run Initiative, this investment in conservation protects our community drinking water, improves the health of Slab Cabin Run and preserves the appealing agricultural character of our region.”
According to ClearWater, this easement acquisition is a continuation of the Slab Cabin Run Initiative, an effort that began by raising $2.75 million to permanently conserve the 300 acres of farmland and streams along Slab Cabin Run. This land lies in a vital portion of the Spring Creek Watershed, within the Source Water Protection Area for the Harter-Thomas Wells, which supplies the majority of the drinking water to Centre Region residents.
