JACKSON TWP — State grant money has begun rolling in and township officials are rallying support from neighboring municipalities for the township’s new regional parks plan.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has awarded $150,000 for the development of Jackson Township Park, the first of what the township hopes will be many grants as it rolls out its plan, titled the Implementable Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Recreation, Parks and Open Space Plan.

The plan seeks to coordinate with Harmony and Zelienople boroughs to maintain and expand parks and recreational facilities in anticipation of continued, rapid development and growth in Jackson and the surrounding region.

“It’s not an ordinance, it’s not a legal document, but it’s a policy document and it’s a planning document,” said Chris Rearick, township manager. “It helps with future budgeting, planning and prioritization, and it also helps, hopefully, to bolster grant applications and requests for projects that are mutually beneficial among the communities.”

The municipalities that sign on will have no legal obligation and have no restrictions on future decisions.

The 159-page plan provides an inventory of facilities in Jackson Township, Harmony and Zelienople and identifies opportunities, issues and recommendations that the municipalities can take into account for future plans. It recommends projects be funded by a combination of grants, partnerships and township funds.

Cooperative approach

This cooperative approach was taken to help the area develop more coherent and unified parks and recreation and to coordinate efforts across communities.

“We’re trying to take a regional approach to planning so the resources can be directed properly,” Rearick said.

The plan seeks to identify ways the townships can most efficiently provide for the needs and wants of residents, he said.

“The soccer fields, for example, were identified as a regional need not just for the township but for all three municipalities based on the population of all three,” Rearick said.

The township has long hoped for a regional trail system.

“Certainly a regionally based plan helps to advance chances of funding portions of that trail in all three communities,” Rearick said.

Grant money is one of the major incentives for Jackson’s neighbors to sign on, as plans like this can open the door for municipalities to apply for funding, Rearick said.

“This helps Jackson get a grant,” said Andrew Mathew, Zelienople council vice president, at a recent meeting. “Inclusion can let Harmony and Zelienople apply for funding in the future.”

The borough signed on in support of the plan, with Councilman Gregg Semel requesting that Lancaster Township be invited to participate.

Harmony issues

Harmony, however, has not signed on, with borough officials raising questions at their meeting Tuesday about what Harmony has to gain and how it would affect their control of the Harmony Trail.

“We already have a parks plan,” said Don Sims, Harmony council vice president. “You’re entering into an agreement that you don’t have to. It sounds great at first, but the longer it goes on it’s going to cost you.”

Others raised concerns that under this plan, the borough’s control of the Harmony Trail could be compromised.

“I would like to see the trail expanded,” said Harmony Mayor Cathy Rape. “Go ahead and do it. But that trail is ours and it should stay ours.”

While much of the trail is located in Jackson Township, Harmony has an agreement giving it control of the trail as long as the borough maintains it.

“As long as we maintain it, we control it,” said David Szakelyhidi, Harmony council member. “Stay away from the trail.”

There has been tension between Harmony and Jackson for years, often centering around Jackson’s plans for development and the Harmony Trail. This was recently exacerbated when Jackson Township approved the Creekside Manor development project, across the Connoquenessing Creek from Harmony.

The plan mentioned the possibility of using the Harmony Trail as an emergency access route for emergency responders should they need rapid access to the development. This sparked concerns among Harmony residents that the trail would be damaged or reconfigured to meet the demands of a developer.

Allen Bayer, Harmony code enforcement and zoning officer and Zelienople council president, reminded the Harmony council that this is not an agreement and that it is not legally binding.

Susan Altemus of the Harmony Parks Board added that if the council is worried about losing control of the trail, it must do more to support maintenance efforts.

“We need to do a better job maintaining it,” she said. “And we’ll need more than a few thousand dollars.”

She recommended that the board meet again with Rearick to iron out the issues.

“I would like to see the trail become part of the comprehensive trail,” said Altemus in an interview after the meeting. “I was looking for council to support the plan so they could apply for a large grant.”

If the trail did become part of a greater system, Altemus said, it could ultimately connect to the larger trail systems of the Rachel Carson Trail and North Country Trail.

“That was my goal, that we can expand the trail. I hope they do,” she said. “They actually said you could walk all the way to Wisconsin. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”