A jogger enjoys the sunshine and solitude of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail in September 2018. Butler Eagle File Photo

A mile-long stretch of the Butler-Freeport Community Trail between Winfield Road and Marwood Road will soon be paved — along with parking lots at each of the respective trailheads.

At a meeting Wednesday, April 12, Buffalo Township supervisors approved hiring Bankson Engineers for the paving project, which involves paving a portion of the trail located in Winfield Township, paving a new parking lot on Marwood Road and repaving the lot located near the intersection of Winfield and Helmbold roads.

“We wanted to be more accessible to those in wheelchairs, and we have a lot of nursing homes in the area. The pavement is easier (than the crushed limestone),” said Chris Ziegler, board president for the Butler-Freeport Community Trail.

The new lot at the Marwood Road trailhead will allow for additional parking, which is needed as the trail has grown in popularity, Ziegler said. She explained that both parking lots will look “drastically different” once complete.

“It’s been on our wish list for a decade or more; a grant was awarded,” she said.

The project is partly funded by $280,000 from Community Conservation Partnerships Program Grants of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The grant required the township to send out requests for qualifications to different engineering firms before making a choice, according to township manager Rich Hill.

“We completed those requests for qualifications, and we received two (responses) plus our current engineer, Bankson, which we are recommending,” Hill said.

According to Ken Howard, director of field services at Bankson Engineers, the design should be finished in the next few months and then they will begin applications for permits and approvals.

The target for work to be complete is the end of the year.

Ziegler said she hopes that the trail will be of value to those who need physical rehabilitation. “One of the county nursing homes is less than a mile from the Marwood trailhead,” she said.

An avid cyclist, Ziegler said she had her knee replaced in 2019. She would visit the gravel trail to “keep moving.” Visiting with friends while walking the trail made the rehabilitation process easier, she recalled, but a paved trail could have helped further.

Benches and tables also will be added to the stretch of newly paved trail, she said.

Since the back-to-back windstorms that hit Butler County on April 1 and 8, about 40 trees have been cleaned up so far along the trail. Ziegler said more are yet to be removed and used as firewood.

Ziegler also said that there will be two Scout projects taking place at the trails, including the addition of a new bench and a bike fixing station.

During the meeting, supervisors gave the go-ahead for the Freeport Highlands Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts to conduct a cleanup from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, April 23.

Additionally, supervisors gave permission to the Freeport cross country team to hold a 5K/10K race on the Butler-Freeport Community Trail on June 3.