Supervisors Plan for Tarrtown Playground, Pavilion
If all goes to plan, Sunny Ridge Playground in West Hills will not be the lone playground in East Franklin Township anymore. Supervisors hope to receive a grant to add a playground in the Village of Tarrtown.
By Jonathan Weaver
After purchasing a plot of land earlier this month, East Franklin Township supervisors hope to add a playground to one of the three residential villages.
Supervisors formally approved to electronically apply for a Greenways, Trails and Recreation Grant through the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
Applications for the grant program are due Tuesday, June 30 before the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s next meeting in September.
The property where the playground would be built – near the residential pump station on Tarrtown Road– was previously owned by Russell W. and Gary L. Johnstown.
It was formally purchased by supervisors during the June 8 special meeting for $5,000.
Community Development Division Director Jennifer Bellas said the total project cost includes a swing set and aggregate walkways leading to a new 16-foot by 16-foot shelter.
“We have the total project cost estimated at $58,075, based on a cost estimate by a play equipment provider,” Bellas said. “We’ll be requesting $49,364 in Greenway and Trails funding (and) it’s a 15 percent match, so the Township match would be $8,711.”
“(The plot of land) wasn’t big enough to build anything on,”
Design and County Planning and Development administration costs were also included in the project cost.
Future plans might also include a half-basketball court and an ADA-compliant parking lot.
“For DCNR, you need to include a site plan that shows the general location of the property you’re renovating and the adjacent property owners of any facilities in that area,” Bellas said earlier this month.
Match cost might be supplied through Marcellus Shale funds or the Township General Fund.
According to the state website, Act 13 of 2012 establishes the Marcellus Legacy Fund and allocates funds to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for planning, acquisition, development, rehabilitation and repair of greenways, recreational trails, open space, parks and beautification projects using the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program.
Even with the next meeting scheduled for September, Bellas wasn’t sure when the contract would be awarded in order to begin construction. She estimated it would not begin until Summer 2016.
Applications – which also required a $100 fee - are evaluated on a competitive basis using seven methods of criteria, including Tarrtown’s economic condition, financial need/ support and level of matching investment and the project readiness.
Speaking of playgrounds, Bellas also finalized construction documents for the ADA bathroom at Heritage Park behind West Hills Primary School.
Supervisors also are planning a July public meeting to discuss extending the township Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) from its current two years to 10 years.
New homeowners would receive tax abatement beginning with 100 percent and descending 10 percent each year for 10 years under the plan.
A two-year tax abatement for new houses or mobile homes has been in-place for more than 15 years.
Solicitor Ty Heller has been drafting the new LERTA for about a year.
There are similar LERTA agreements in nearby-West Franklin Township and Rayburn Townships. Any agreement is contingent on Armstrong School District approval.
Supervisor David Stewart was impressed with the number of new houses in West Franklin Township built in just the first two years of their respective LERTA.
According to the 2012 census, about 4,010 residents live in East Franklin Township – an increase of about 20 residents since the 2010 census.
Local News | jweaver June 26, 2015
By busdriver, June 26, 2015 @ 11:01 AM
I grew up in Tarrtown.When I was a kid we didn’t have a playground. We played in the street,on the railroad tracks,in the swamp and the river. Back then there were a lot more kids. My mother still lives there and I bet there aren’t maybe 10-15 kids in town. I think the twp. could spend money better.
By calebsmommy68, June 29, 2015 @ 11:34 AM
I live in tarrtown & I think this is an amazing idea!