Butler Township will begin construction on a recreation and activities complex near the Pullman Center Business Park later this year.

The township is putting about $3.75 million into the project, for which the township will pay half and a matching funds grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will pay for the remaining $1.875 million.

The township commissioners approved a resolution to apply for the grant at Monday's meeting. Township manager Tom Knights said the administrators are working on a plan for what the complex will house after looking to the local community for what is most wanted.

“Conceptually we're still working on it,” he said. “We worked in conjunction with Slippery Rock University on a survey of what people want. We're reviewing results now and trying to plug in what was most sought after to see what we could fit there with some of the limitation.”

Knights said community input on the complex is important because it is planned to be open to everyone in the community. Although plans are still developing for features of the complex, Knights said its base will be an athletic field with artificial turf that can be used for many different activities.

“It will be soccer size but you'd be able to do multiple activities on it,” he said. “I'm hoping we can spur a lot of diverse recreation.”

The complex will be built on about 19 acres of land that the township acquired in 2019, and Knights said parking and the nearby railroad tracks will be taken into account when making construction plans. Some of the preliminary construction work is already done, and the build site has been cleared and mowed, according to Knights.

Knights is anticipating that the complex will be used by different local sports leagues for games and events, but otherwise it will be open for use to anyone. He said he envisions the complex as a go-to recreation location for people throughout Butler County.

“I think it will be a real regional asset,” Knights said. “We're just trying to develop the site for the complex and match up what fits with its limitations and what the community wants.”