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DCNR's Keystone Fund Supports Local Recreation Projects In Allegheny, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Chester, Montour Counties

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Tuesday announced grants from the Keystone Fund to support local recreation projects in Allegheny, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Chester and Montour counties.

Allegheny County

A $200,000 Keystone Fund grant will help rehabilitate Townsend Parklet in Pittsburgh and link natural resources to community revitalization and improve well-being for residents by revitalizing recreation opportunities.

“Local parks improve the everyday lives of people of all places, ages, and backgrounds, while serving as a primary venue for outdoor recreation for Pennsylvanians,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “We are happy to assist Pittsburgh by investing in the renovation of a basketball court and new play equipment with safe surface material and new lighting at Townsend Parklet.”

Townsend Parklet is almost 2 acres of community space at 817 Chartiers Ave. in Pittsburgh.

Berks County

An investment of $300,000 to rehabilitate two park sites in the City of Reading-- Baer Park and the 6th and Amity Street Playground-- will help the city link natural resources to community revitalization and improve well-being for residents by revitalizing recreation opportunities in the city.

“Local parks improve the everyday lives of people of all places, ages, and backgrounds, while serving as a primary venue for outdoor recreation for Pennsylvanians,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. “We are happy to assist Reading by investing in new basketball courts and spray pad areas for summer fun at Baer Park and the Sixth and Amity Streets Playground.”

Baer Park is 9 acres in northwest Reading that is a center of community activity housing a lighted baseball field, tennis courts, a playground, and a concession stand. The grant will fund the renovation of a basketball court, construction of a spray pad water feature, and new walkways.

Work at the Sixth and Amity Streets Playground will include renovation of a basketball court, construction of a spray pad, new playground equipment, and walkways.

Blair County

A $155,500 grant from the Keystone Fund for the Logan Valley Streetcar Trail in Blair County is envisioned as part of a rail trail network that will support the community’s connection to good health, and its history.

The grant to Antis Township for the construction of about a mile of the Logan Valley Streetcar Trail from Main St. in Bellwood Borough to Becker Road in the township. The Logan Valley Streetcar Trail is proposed to connect to the approximately 6-mile Bells Gap Rail Trail that offers several covered benches on which to rest and enjoy the scenery.

“Trails provide a close-to-home connection to nature and recreation that is always free or affordable,” Dunn said. “We are happy to provide this grant to support the community’s vision that future generations will use the Logan Valley Streetcar Trail for recreation, exercise, a greater appreciation of our natural beauty and resources, and a new understanding of the fascinating history behind Bellwood-Antis and Blair County.”

Bradford County

A $80,000 grant from the Keystone Fund will support a new boat launch in Creekside Park, Wyalusing Borough, Bradford County to help the borough link natural resources to community revitalization and improve well-being for residents by increasing recreation opportunities.

“Through our DCNR grant program we are happy to be able to support a new access point for people to connect to their local waterway and have fun on the water,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said.

The project will include the installation of the boat launch, pathways, parking area, and landscaping at Creekside Park along the Wyalusing Creek, which is a tributary to the Susquehanna River.

Chester County

DCNR provided grants from the Keystone Fund for two recreation projects in Chester County-- the John O. Green Memorial Park in West Chester, and Hershey’s Mill Dam Park in East Goshen Township.

The $200,000 grant to West Chester for the rehabilitation of the John O. Green Memorial Park will include stormwater management measures that will help the Chester Creek watershed.

The half-acre park is located at S. Matlack and E. Miner streets. It includes a play area and a water feature that people from all over the borough use in the summer to keep their children cool.

The $380,000 grant for the Hershey’s Mill Dam Park includes the construction of a fishing pond, a waterfront access area, waterfalls, trails and a parking area. The six-acre park is located on Greenhill Road.

The investment is supported by the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. A key purpose of the LWCF Act is to help preserve, develop, and assure universal access to outdoor recreation facilities, and to provide recreation and strengthen the health of U.S. citizens in close to home venues.

In a letter to Congress, Gov. Wolf urged support for permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which expired at the end of September. The Governor noted that LWCF grants have improved thousands of communities throughout the Commonwealth and have helped fund significant improvements in our award-winning state parks.

Montour County

A $290,000 Keystone Fund grant will help develop the parcel located in Canal Park in downtown Danville Borough in Montour County that is in the midst of a revival, to link natural resources to community revitalization and improve well-being for residents by increasing recreation opportunities.

“Local parks improve the everyday lives of people of all places, ages, and backgrounds, while serving as a primary venue for outdoor recreation for Pennsylvanians,” said DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. “We are happy to assist Danville by investing in the development of Canal Park to include a new amphitheater, trails and measures to assist with controlling stormwater built in to the park design.”

In September 2012, the Borough of Danville purchased a blighted commercial property located adjacent to the municipal building in order to eliminate its influence in the center of the business district. The borough razed the dilapidated structure and now maintains the lot as green space.

The community plans to close Canal Street and combine several parcels to create a recreational jewel in the heart of a quaint downtown at 436 Mill St. Canal Park will have café tables and seating in a plaza beckoning people off of Mill Street (the borough’s main street), an amphitheater facing a covered performance stage, plus a mural and landscaping.

Funding will support the construction of pedestrian walkways, amphitheater and stormwater management measures, installation of lighting and utilities, ADA access, landscaping, park signage, and additional site improvements.

The project also received a $261,028 grant through the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Keystone Communities program.

Keystone Fund

The Keystone Fund is currently celebrating 25 years of supporting thousands of community improvements in Pennsylvania.

In Pennsylvania, outdoor recreation generates $29.1 billion in consumer spending, $1.9 billion in state and local tax revenue, $8.6 billion in wages and salaries, and sustains 251,000 direct Pennsylvania jobs.

DCNR Grant Workshops

To learn more about other available grant opportunities to support trail and recreation projects, attend one of the upcoming workshops on DCNR’s Community Conservation Grant Program. Click Here for more.

A new grant round is opening soon.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog, Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

(Photo: 6th and Amity Street Playground in Reading, 69 News.)

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