Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn Thursday joined Wrightsville Borough [York County] officials in touring a renovation project under way at the borough’s riverfront park, an effort hailed as a keystone in the borough’s revitalization and safe, expanded access to the Susquehanna River.

“Our folks view this project as a ‘high priority project of the Susquehanna Riverlands Landscape,’” Dunn told council members and others who joined her in a walking tour of the park on the western shore of the Susquehanna in York County.

“We see it as a boon to revitalizing Wrightsville Borough, one of three area river towns linked so closely to the river,” Dunn said.  “Across the state, regardless of the waterway or the town, we have seen the very good things that fall into place when a rebounding river is used as a catalyst for a municipality’s revitalization.”.

In addition to helping improve the borough’s economy, the Wrightsville Borough Riverfront Park rehabilitation project will serve as a gateway to the Susquehanna Riverlands Conservation Landscape; increase pedestrian access to the Susquehanna River; and improve safety for those using the Mason Dixon Trail, the secretary said.

“Wrightsville’s Riverfront Park renovation project is a terrific example of how solid planning combined with collaboration among community partners can produce real, positive results,” said Project Manager, Ben Craddock, PE, of Lancaster Civil Engineering.

“The project has had excellent support from York County, DCNR, and the National Fish and Wildlife Federation’s Cheseapeake Bay Stewardship program, in large part due to the extensive planning and partnerships that were formed from the very beginning,” Braddock said.

DCNR funding is being used to enhance Wrightsville’s 11-acre public recreation park. These investments are leveraged with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Federation, which mitigates stormwater runoff to meet state and federal regulations.

A Riverfront Park Master Plan, completed in 2011, recommended improvements for recreation and leisure facilities, including picnic areas, playgrounds, and athletic areas.

Also recommended were increased nature-oriented activities -- boat ramps, fishing docks, and scenic overlooks -- as well as an amphitheater, pavilions, trails, and other community facilities.

The study also recommended nearby Front Street be redeveloped, with improvements to enhance both the street and the park.

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[Posted: Oct. 5, 2017]

10/9/2017