Fun for All
Butler County is planning for people and their four-legged friends to have more room to roam.
A late addition to the county's Comprehensive Recreation, Parks & Open Space Plan, which details how best to use all resources to meet recreational needs, is a dog park at Alameda Park.
Gary Pinkerton, director of county parks and recreation, said the dog park fulfills a recreational need for pet owners.
However, it wasn't a priority until funding came from donations.
The county awarded a $48,569 contract with Pashek Associates of Pittsburgh to prepare construction documents and to handle bidding and construction observation for the dog park.
Colorado sculptor Louise Peterson is creating a life-size bronze dog statue for the park under a $30,000 contract.
“We're in the final design stage,” Pinkerton said.
The Alameda dog park will be the second in the county. The other is in Cranberry Township.
The dog park is only one of many changes coming to the park.
'A usable plan'
Pinkerton said the goal of a comprehensive plan is to be a guideline that will be followed.
“It's not something that sits on the shelf and draws dust,” he said. “We want a usable plan.”
The comprehensive plan was developed in conjunction with municipal recreation plans in Cranberry, the Slippery Rock area and Adams Township.
Under the county plan, Alameda Park would be upgraded over eight phases.
Along with renovating Alameda Pool, there would be construction of a mountain bike trail system, playground improvements, a new park lodge/office and new environmental education center.The $1.1 million first phase includes the development of the mountain bike trial. Bike riders cut their own trails in the park now.The $329,500 second phase includes improvements to the playground, which is more than 20 years old.During phases II and III, a trail along the closed section of Alameda Park Road will be developed.In the $1.3 million seventh phase, a new visitors lodge and new park office would be built near the park entrance on Alameda Park Road.The county parks and recreation department uses office space in a small building on a driveway further down the road.Under the final phase, an environmental education center at the Jaycees Shelter would be constructed for $511,500.In addition to enhancing Alameda Park, the county plan recommends creating more parks if there becomes a demand and when funds becomes available.Aside from Alameda, the only other county park is Diamond Park on Main Street in Butler.The plan recommends the county continue developing and upgrading municipal parks.Each year, the county awards grants to municipal parks and helps them obtain state grant funding.For planning purposes, the county is divided into five regions.Northwest regionThe first section covers the 11 municipalities in the Slippery Rock School District.Along with Moraine State Park, this region has five municipal parks.According to the county plan, the regions' recreational needs are being met as long as school and quasi-public facilities are available for use.However, the county is advised to improve municipal recreational opportunities.Northeast cornerThe second division is the northeast corner of the county, covering the municipalities in the Moniteau School District and parts of the Allegheny-Clarion Valley and Karns City school districts.Nine municipal parks are in this region.Although the plan indicates there is a lack of soccer fields and volleyball courts in this region, it states there is no evident need for such facilities.Central sectionThe central part of the county is the third region, encompassing the eight municipalities in the Butler School District and Donegal Township.There are 20 municipal parks in this region.Southwest cornerThe southwest corner of the county is the fourth region, which has 22 municipal parks.Among the recommendations tied into the Adams and Cranberry plans, a need for more soccer fields in Adams is highlighted.Southeast cornerThe southeast corner of the county is the fifth region, which has 10 municipal parks.This region includes the Winfield Township Community Park and Spring Valley Park in Clinton Township, both of which are in the early stages of developing recreational opportunities.County trail systemIn conjunction with the comprehensive recreation plan, there is a six-step plan to develop a countywide trail system.The first component is extending the North Country Trail from McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County at the Butler County border to Moraine State Park.The national trail stretches from eastern New York to central North Dakota.The proposed 2.6-mile connector, which would link nearly eight miles of trail in McConnells Mill with 15 miles in Moraine, would result in more than 25 miles of continuous trail.Butler County could work with Lawrence County, the North Country Trail Association, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the two state parks and both counties' tourism bureaus to develop the connector.The second step entails stretching a trail from Slippery Rock to the Moraine Trail, which would begin along Main Street in the borough and head west along a tributary of Wolf Creek before heading southwest to Slippery Rock Creek.The trail would then head across Slippery Rock Road to Rock Falls Park, across Route 173 to Armco Park and across Route 8 to the North Country Trail near Hallston Road.Among the trail's connections would be one to the Jennings Environmental Education Center.Potential partners in developing this trail include Slippery Rock University and the Audubon Society.The third step would be to establish a 45-mile Connoquenessing Creek Water Trail for such uses as kayaking. Potential partners for the county would include the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.The fourth step would be making Butler a trail town, where trails from other parts of the county would converge.For the fifth step, a trail from Parker to Bruin would be developed, connecting to the trail coming from Franklin in Venango County to Parker.The last trail would extend nearly seven miles along the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad track from the Mars VFW Field in Adams Township to the Railroad Street Fields in Evans City.
Northwest regionThe first section covers the 11 municipalities in the Slippery Rock School District.Along with Moraine State Park, this region has five municipal parks.According to the county plan, the regions' recreational needs are being met as long as school and quasi-public facilities are available for use.However, the county is advised to improve municipal recreational opportunities.Northeast cornerThe second division is the northeast corner of the county, covering the municipalities in the Moniteau School District and parts of the Allegheny-Clarion Valley and Karns City school districts.Nine municipal parks are in this region.Although the plan indicates there is a lack of soccer fields and volleyball courts in this region, it states there is no evident need for such facilities.Central sectionThe central part of the county is the third region, encompassing the eight municipalities in the Butler School District and Donegal Township.There are 20 municipal parks in this region.Southwest cornerThe southwest corner of the county is the fourth region, which has 22 municipal parks.Among the recommendations tied into the Adams and Cranberry plans, a need for more soccer fields in Adams is highlighted.Southeast cornerThe southeast corner of the county is the fifth region, which has 10 municipal parks.This region includes the Winfield Township Community Park and Spring Valley Park in Clinton Township, both of which are in the early stages of developing recreational opportunities.County trail systemIn conjunction with the comprehensive recreation plan, there is a six-step plan to develop a countywide trail system.The first component is extending the North Country Trail from McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County at the Butler County border to Moraine State Park.The national trail stretches from eastern New York to central North Dakota.The proposed 2.6-mile connector, which would link nearly eight miles of trail in McConnells Mill with 15 miles in Moraine, would result in more than 25 miles of continuous trail.Butler County could work with Lawrence County, the North Country Trail Association, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the two state parks and both counties' tourism bureaus to develop the connector.The second step entails stretching a trail from Slippery Rock to the Moraine Trail, which would begin along Main Street in the borough and head west along a tributary of Wolf Creek before heading southwest to Slippery Rock Creek.The trail would then head across Slippery Rock Road to Rock Falls Park, across Route 173 to Armco Park and across Route 8 to the North Country Trail near Hallston Road.Among the trail's connections would be one to the Jennings Environmental Education Center.Potential partners in developing this trail include Slippery Rock University and the Audubon Society.The third step would be to establish a 45-mile Connoquenessing Creek Water Trail for such uses as kayaking. Potential partners for the county would include the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.The fourth step would be making Butler a trail town, where trails from other parts of the county would converge.For the fifth step, a trail from Parker to Bruin would be developed, connecting to the trail coming from Franklin in Venango County to Parker.The last trail would extend nearly seven miles along the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad track from the Mars VFW Field in Adams Township to the Railroad Street Fields in Evans City.
Northeast cornerThe second division is the northeast corner of the county, covering the municipalities in the Moniteau School District and parts of the Allegheny-Clarion Valley and Karns City school districts.Nine municipal parks are in this region.Although the plan indicates there is a lack of soccer fields and volleyball courts in this region, it states there is no evident need for such facilities.Central sectionThe central part of the county is the third region, encompassing the eight municipalities in the Butler School District and Donegal Township.There are 20 municipal parks in this region.Southwest cornerThe southwest corner of the county is the fourth region, which has 22 municipal parks.Among the recommendations tied into the Adams and Cranberry plans, a need for more soccer fields in Adams is highlighted.Southeast cornerThe southeast corner of the county is the fifth region, which has 10 municipal parks.This region includes the Winfield Township Community Park and Spring Valley Park in Clinton Township, both of which are in the early stages of developing recreational opportunities.County trail systemIn conjunction with the comprehensive recreation plan, there is a six-step plan to develop a countywide trail system.The first component is extending the North Country Trail from McConnells Mill State Park in Lawrence County at the Butler County border to Moraine State Park.The national trail stretches from eastern New York to central North Dakota.The proposed 2.6-mile connector, which would link nearly eight miles of trail in McConnells Mill with 15 miles in Moraine, would result in more than 25 miles of continuous trail.Butler County could work with Lawrence County, the North Country Trail Association, the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the two state parks and both counties' tourism bureaus to develop the connector.The second step entails stretching a trail from Slippery Rock to the Moraine Trail, which would begin along Main Street in the borough and head west along a tributary of Wolf Creek before heading southwest to Slippery Rock Creek.The trail would then head across Slippery Rock Road to Rock Falls Park, across Route 173 to Armco Park and across Route 8 to the North Country Trail near Hallston Road.Among the trail's connections would be one to the Jennings Environmental Education Center.Potential partners in developing this trail include Slippery Rock University and the Audubon Society.The third step would be to establish a 45-mile Connoquenessing Creek Water Trail for such uses as kayaking. Potential partners for the county would include the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.The fourth step would be making Butler a trail town, where trails from other parts of the county would converge.For the fifth step, a trail from Parker to Bruin would be developed, connecting to the trail coming from Franklin in Venango County to Parker.The last trail would extend nearly seven miles along the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad track from the Mars VFW Field in Adams Township to the Railroad Street Fields in Evans City.
