LAWRENCE COUNTY Nature trail work nears

About $98,000 in government and private grants will pay for the work.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Soon, Lawrence County schoolchildren won't have to travel far to learn about nature.
Lawrence County commissioners are expected to open bids Tuesday for work to make West Park an environmental center and walking trail.
Jo Ann McCready, the county's conservation district manager, envisions the park as an outdoor classroom to teach youngsters about nature and wildlife.
What's in store: Plans call for the construction of nearly a mile of walking trails, footbridges, observation decks and a composting toilet restroom facility on about 25 acres off Old Youngstown Road.
The park, roughly about 100 acres, has gone largely unused since the county acquired it in the 1960s, said Commissioner Brian Burick.
There were plans at one time to make it a traditional park with ballfields and playgrounds, but officials learned there was poor drainage and a danger of sinkholes throughout the park, he said. Selling the land to developers wasn't possible because it had been bought with federal recreation dollars that prohibited any sale, he said.
Use found: A few years ago commissioners did find one use for the land. Developers wanting to construct a strip mall nearby needed to find a home for about eight acres of wetlands that were going to be destroyed by their development. Federal and state laws protect wetlands and require developers to replace them before building.
Commissioners agreed to the swap, and developers spent $400,000 putting in red maple trees, blueberry and cranberry shrubs and other flora. Wildlife, including ducks, geese, raccoons, deer and birds, have become frequent visitors.
McCready said she saw the site and envisioned it as an environmental center open to everyone, especially schoolchildren.
"It seemed to me that was wasted space. I thought maybe it would be nice to revive the park, not as a traditional recreation park, but as a passive recreation park where people could do some bird watching and hiking," she said.
Grants secured: McCready was able to secure about $98,000 in private and government grants to pay for the project, which she says is the first phase of work.
Eventually they hope to build a shelter and create gardens with natural plants and grasses, she said.
If acceptable work bids are opened Tuesday, work should begin this spring and end sometime this summer, officials said.