Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan - Charting Our Future

The Township of Spring received a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to assist with the updating of its Comprehensive Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan.  The most current version of the plan is dated 1997.  The Township has awarded the planning contract to the firm of YSM (Yost, Strodoski, Mears), a landscape architect firm from York, PA and Toole Recreation Planning from Doylestown, PA.

The Comprehensive Plan will evaluate the current park facilities, recreational program offerings, current staffing level, facility and equipment maintenance program, public relations program and the administration and financial management of the Department.  It will consider the current population as well as the projected future growth within the Township.  The Plan will compare the Township to three other similar Pennsylvania communities that have a high commitment to providing quality parks and recreation programs.  A “Strengths and Weaknesses Analysis” will be performed in eight different categories including facilities, financing and risk management.  Natural features and corridors will be identified including flood plains, major utility rights-of-way and abandoned railroad rights-of-way. 

The most important aspect of the Plan will be the Public Participation Phase.  A survey will be mailed to a random sampling of the Township’s population.  In addition to the monthly Study Committee meetings, Key Person Interviews, Focus Group Meetings and two Public Hearings will be scheduled.

Once the evaluations are done, the survey results tabulated and all of the background information gathered, the consultants will develop recommendations for where the Department should be in ten years in terms of facilities, programs, financing and administration.  With the history, current status and future goals identified, the Study Committee and consultants will develop a chart for the future of the Department.  Immediate, Short Term and Long Term goals will be established with specific action steps identified for the successful acquisition of the goals. The entire project will take approximately 12 to 18 months to complete. 

GREENWAYS & TRAILS UPDATE

Township of Spring Greenways & Trails System
Linking Our Lives

Green, Green, Green – green buildings, green economics and now green ways!  What exactly is a greenway, why is it important, why should I care, what does it do for me?  As the Township embarks on this journey of greenways and trails, we’d like to answer these questions for our residents.  In 1997, Governor Tom Ridge hosted the “Governor’s Conference on Greenways and Trails”.  The “How To Manual” distributed at the Conference defines a greenway as “a corridor of open space.”1 This open space can be land and/or water based and can be located anywhere from along an abandoned railroad bed, to a creek side, to the edge of a farmer’s fields.  The greenway may or may not contain an actual trail and may be designed for recreation or conservation purposes.  Parts of the Township’s Greenways and Trails System will actually be located along existing sidewalks identified through a comprehensive signage program.  Although greenways may vary drastically in their locations and functions, they are all important because the “greenway network will protect natural, cultural and scenic resources, provide recreation benefits and transportation options, enhance the natural beauty and quality of life in neighborhoods and communities and stimulate economic development opportunities.” 1

What will the Township of Spring Greenways and Trails System do for the residents and why should you care about it?  Once completed this system will “Link Our Lives” together by creating accesses from neighborhoods to shopping centers, from shopping centers to parks and from parks to commercial developments.  The system will provide residents with alternative travel routes where they can use various modes of transportation without relying on their vehicle.  By choosing to walk or bike to work, the grocery store, the mall or the park, residents can reduce the negative environmental impact of automobile exhaust and reduce their continually rising fuel costs.  The individual health benefits of choosing a more physically active mode of transportation are even more reasons why you should care about this system.

Although this system will require years to completely develop, the Greenways and Trails Committee has begun working on the design of the first trail in the system.  During the spring of 2008, the Township will award a contract for the design of the Schoener Lake Trail.  This trail will provide a link from Cacoosing Meadows Park to the commercial/business district located between Van Reed Road and Yerger Boulevard. The complete Greenways and Trails Map is available at www.springtwpberks.org/ParkAndRec/FeatureItems.htm.  The map identifies existing trails, previously proposed trails, recommended new trails and recommended sidewalk improvements.

Questions regarding the Greenways and Trails Committee can be referred to the Parks and Recreation Department at 610-678-5399.

Click on the following link to see a map of the proposed trails: Greenway Trails Map