College Township Council OKs Plans for Millbrook Marsh Education Building Expansion, Welcome Pavilion

College Township Council on Thursday unanimously approved final land development plans for the phase 2 expansion of the Spring Creek Education Building and construction of a welcome pavilion at Centre Region Parks and Recreation’s Millbrook Marsh Nature Center.

The $2 million project will more than double the size of the existing education building, built in 2011, with an additional 2,600 square feet. Construction is expected to begin later this year.

Plans for phase 2 of the education building include a community room two additional classrooms that open to the nearby aquatic ecosystem and conversion of the existing lower classroom into a multipurpose public programming space.

Sustainable features to match the phase 1 portion of the building’s LEED silver certification will include solar panels, use of recycled materials and large windows for natural light.

The welcome pavilion will include information kiosks, four family restrooms, a water fountain and bottle filling station and rest areas.

Funding for the expansion is supported by community gifts, the Hamer Foundation and state grants, College, Ferguson, Harris, and Patton townships and State College Borough. Most recently, the project received a $166,800 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Community Conservation Partnerships Program.

The Spring Creek Education Building was constructed to provide more programming, event and rental space year-round at the 62-acre Nature Center, which consists of a 12-acre farmstead and adjacent 50-acre wetland off of Puddintown Road in College Township.

As the popularity of Millbrook Marsh has increased — with more than 20,000 participants each year for programs and events, not including recreational day users — the education building is regularly operating at capacity.

“Completing the Phase 2 construction of the Spring Creek Education Building will expand education and recreation opportunities for our community,” Centre Region Parks and Recreation Director Pam Salokangas said in 2021. “Millbrook Marsh will be able to increase the number of naturalist-led programs, events, and workshops offered each year, and expand the type of events to include music, films, art exhibits and more.”

College Township Council previously considered the land development plan in December, but tabled it after a lengthy discussion about a proposed alternative to sidewalk requirements that would have used and extended the internal trail system consisting of trail surface aggregate (TSA). Council members expressed concerns about the ability to maintain the TSA in the winter and about placement and connectivity of the proposal.

Jeff Baughman, project manager from Stahl Sheaffer Engineering, presented a revised plan to council on Thursday that includes a 5-foot wide asphalt bituminous sidewalk from the southern terminus of the property, continuing along adjacent to Puddintown Road and turning toward the educational building, expanding to eight feet across the pedestrian bridge and and linking with the existing trail network.

“We were really happy with this alignment. … This is definitely the best alignment option possible,” township engineer Don Franson said. “I think it’s a great alternative to what we were looking at before.”

“I think in many ways this is the ideal solution whether it’s 5 or 8 feet,” Councilman Paul Takac said. “I think from the context of access to and in some cases around the marsh, this is a much better solution.”

Citing the area as “a critical connector piece” for the township’s pedestrian plan, Councilman Eric Bernier said he had wanted the sidewalk adjacent to Puddintown Road to be 8 feet. CRPR agreed to include an alternative bid for an 8-foot sidewalk when it puts the project out for bids and the township would fund the difference if financially feasible.