Antrim Township park gets $500K-plus boost from state grant

An Americans with Disabilities Act compliant restroom, covered individual picnic tables, native plantings and pedestrian safety improvements are coming Antrim Township Community Park thanks to a grant of more than half a million dollars from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

Antrim Township’s $541,000 grant — the only one in Franklin County — is part of $19.4 million for 68 projects across the state announced earlier this month by DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. The bulk of the grant money comes from federal COVID-19 relief funds.

For Pre-K kids:Early learning center will be piloted at Greencastle-Antrim site

Helping The Institute:Shockey Family Foundation donates to nature education center

Additional matching money from the township and in-kind work by township staff bring the project total to $676,000.

The grants are to help underserved and small communities and partnerships, according to a DCNR news release.

DCNR’s 2020-2024 Pennsylvania Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan identified Antrim Township as having “medium to high need for recreation opportunities,” Cheryl Walburn, township parks director, said.

“Applicants were encouraged to submit projects that advanced their local recreation and conservation vision and implemented priorities of the statewide outdoor recreation plan, such as constructing playgrounds, developing internal loop trails and improving access for people of all abilities and backgrounds,” according to the DCNR news release.

Antrim Township Community Park off Grant Shook Road covers about 200 acres, extending down to the east branch of the Conococheague Creek and the historic Martin’s Mill Bridge.

What will be added at Antrim Township Community Park?

The grant-funded projects will “thoroughly change the park and bring it up to another level,” Walburn said.

The big project is the ADA compliant restroom at the north end of the park, which is currently served by three portable toilets. They fill up on busy weekends and become unusable, Walburn said. There is already a restroom at the south end of the park.

The northern part of the park is home to two soccer fields, a small pavilion, a small playground, basketball courts, tennis courts and a baseball/softball field. The new bathroom will open to the door for more activities at that area.

The prefabricated restroom will be built off-site and ready to use the day, or the day after, it arrives at the park.

All the work will meet ADA standards, including the addition of nearby parking and walkways from the restroom to the 1 ½-mile walking trail.

Ten ADA compliant benches will be placed along the trail that loops around the park.

The park already has one large pavilion and one small pavilion suitable for groups, but smaller spots for individuals and families are needed, Walburn said.

Ten single roof-covered picnic tables will be placed on concrete pads around the park.

Native trees and shrubs will be planted at the benches and picnic tables. They also will be added for screening near Conococheague Lane, also at the north end of the park, where additional acreage was purchased about three years ago.

The plants will give shade, attract wildlife and provide buffers and erosion control, Walburn said.

New crosswalks will be installed and existing crossings will be bolstered with speed humps and flashers to slow traffic and improve pedestrian safety, according to Walburn, who hopes the work will begin this summer.

Where is the money for park improvements coming from?

The grants are funded from multiple sources, with the largest being the American Rescue Plan Act money appropriated for recreation and conservation in the state’s 2022-23 budget, according to the news release from DCNR.

While grants often have a 50-50 matching requirement, the federal funds made it possible to lower that to 80-20.

“Having these federal dollars allowed DCNR to reduce the match required, making it possible for small and distressed communities to apply for the help needed to revitalize their boroughs and towns. Our regional advisers put in extra effort to assist,” Dunn said.

The availability of grants was announced in the fall and “we were preparing positively for the grant, so it was put in this year’s budget,” Walburn said.

For the in-kind work, the road crew and park staff will be installing a lot of the signs and doing site work, Walburn said. The rest of the township’s share will come from the operational budget, with money generated by host municipality fees paid by the Mountainview Reclamation landfill and specifically earmarked for recreation. 

Shawn Hardy is a reporter with Gannett's Franklin County newspapers in south-central Pennsylvania — the Echo Pilot in Greencastle, The Record Herald in Waynesboro and the Public Opinion in Chambersburg. She has more than 35 years of journalism experience. Reach her at shardy@gannett.com