Apr 7, 2024 By Mark Hofmann 2 min read

South Union Township’s portion of the Sheepskin Trail will be brighter as it was approved for a multimodal grant for lights along the trail.

During Wednesday’s regular meeting, Supervisor Jason Scott said the township received a $301,500 grant for the project.

Scott said the lighting project costs around $425,000 as the grant was a 70/30 split with the township’s share at a little over $100,000. The township’s actual cost, however, won’t be quite that much, said Scott.

“We’re going to do it in-kind,” Scott said, adding that the township will provide the labor to install the lighting and hire an electrician for the electric work involved.

The lighting will go for 2.1 miles and begin at the covered bridge at Hutchinson Park and end at the dog park before the township’s new sports complex.

Plans also include installing outlets on every other pole to accommodate phone chargers or other electronics.

Scott said as soon as they get the go-ahead for the project, they’ll begin with plans to have it complete by October for the township’s annual Treats on the Trail.

“It’s going to be nice,” he said.

The grant came from the Commonwealth Finance Agency through the Multimodal Transportation Fund. Scott said the township had applied for the funding two years in a row.

State Sen. Pat Stefano, R-Bullskin, and state Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa, R-Smithfield, announced the South Union grant as part of $701,500 in funding coming to the county last week. The other grant recipient was Henry Clay Township, which received $400,000 for reconstruction and resurfacing of Sugarloaf Road.

The lighting funding for the Sheepskin Trail is the latest that will help the township continue improving its recreational areas. Last month, supervisors announced a $1,900 donation from the National Road Heritage Corridor that will allow the township to install an e-bike charging station at Hutchinson Park. Scott said that project will also be completed this year.