Officials announce $200,000 in state funding for Wisecarver development
Steve Barrett
State and local officials recently announced that a $200,000 state grant has been awarded to develop the Wisecarver Recreation Area in Franklin Township.
Rep. Pam Snyder
Belding
State Rep. Pam Snyder and the Greene County commissioners recently announced that a $200,000 state grant has been awarded to develop the Wisecarver Recreation Area in Franklin Township.
Snyder, D-Jefferson, issued a release last week announcing that the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant will allow Greene County Parks and Recreation to construct an access drive, a parking area, pedestrian walkways, a softball field and stormwater management measures at the 360-acre Wisecarver Recreation Area, along with other related site improvements.
“I’m pleased that this grant will allow Greene County to develop the Wisecarver Reservoir into a beautiful recreational area for residents and visitors to enjoy,” Snyder said in the release. “Combined with a previous state investment of $200,000 two years ago, these additional funds bring the total state investment into this project to $400,000, and I look forward to its completion.”
Snyder said the DCNR Recreation and Conservation grant program is funded with a variety of state and federal funding sources, including the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund (Key 93), which includes Key-Community and Key-Land Trust; the Environmental Stewardship Fund; the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund; Pennsylvania Trails Fund; Pennsylvania Heritage Area Program; and the ATV Restricted Management Account Fund.
Snyder explained that the county reached out for support in securing the money in June.
“I contacted DCNR and our House leadership almost immediately to make sure this project was funded,” Snyder said. “We’ve been working on this development for many years. My House leadership and (DNCR) Secretary (Cindy Adams) Dunn know how important this project is to Greene County, and I’m so happy we could deliver this state funding.
“This is a collective effort with the county to make Wisecarver a beautiful area for our residents, and I look forward to bringing more of our tax dollars back home to make it a one-of-a-kind place to recreate,” she continued.
Also last week, the county commissioners issued a release announcing their intent to recognize and congratulate the Greene County Department of Planning and Community Development and Department of Recreation for the recent award for the Wisecarver Recreation Area.
The commissioners’ release states that on April 23 the county submitted a grant application and they were notified on Sept. 24 that the county was awarded the $200,000 grant. The release further states that the ongoing project will include the installation of bleachers, ADA access, landscaping and other related site improvements when it is fully funded.
Commission Chairman Mike Belding said plans to enhance the Wisecarver Recreation Area have been in development for years by the county, and after various holdups and delays the current board has been diligent in moving the project forward.
“We took the opportunity this summer to contact the state Department of Environmental Protection and get things rolling in regards to securing permits for the project,” Belding said. “That finally came through, and we were able to get the permits and then apply for state funding.”
Belding said the total project is estimated to cost roughly $2.5 million and the county efforts to match any funds awarded will include “in-kind volunteer work and donated earth work.” The county will also continue to look into secure additional future state grants for the project, he added.
Belding said the county is working with SWPA, the Izaak Walton League’s local chapter, Franklin Township officials and others in the project, which has been developed through what he calls “a solid plan” where work will be completed in phases.
“We’re off to a good start,” Belding said. “The plan is place and is in motion. It’s going to be a complex project that will require a great deal of work, but we’re moving forward. I believe that two to four years from now we should see significant progress, we should see parking access, softball fields and dirt hiking trail for miles round the area’s perimeter.”
Regarding the previous state grant awarded referred to by Snyder, in October 2018 Snyder was joined by DCNR Secretary Dunn and the previous board of commissioners at the Greene County Courthouse in announcing $200,000 in DCNR grant money geared to help fund walkways, bridges and trails at the Wisecarver Recreation Area.
During the announcement, Snyder said months prior to the announcement the board of commissioners – at that time consisting of Blair Zimmerman, Dave Coder and Archie Trader – asked her for help in getting the grant funded.
Snyder said at the time that she “couldn’t be happier to report that we have obtained the funding that will allow us to revitalize and improve our community resources (which also included DNCR grant funding earmarked for the Greene River Trail) in order to make them more welcoming for our residents.”
In June 2016, the previous board of commissioners voted to work with Southwestern Pennsylvania Water Authority in a cooperative effort to develop part of the reservoir into a park.
This included a 99-year lease agreement with SWPA that would enable the county to “do some good things” with the state, according to former Commissioner Dave Coder, while then-Commission Chairman Blair Zimmerman said at the time of the approved agreement that the area was “ripe for great fishing” and suggested working with DCNR to construct a boat launch.