People walk along the trail at Sippel Reservoir Park in 2023 against a background of autumn leaves. Butler Eagle File Photo

JACKSON TWP — Township officials are preparing to expand recreational offerings at Sippel Reservoir Park in an effort to provide residents more space to play and connect.

During a meeting on Thursday, July 17, supervisors approved an $80,000 contract with Zelienople-based architectural firm Entasis for design and bidding services to construct a new community center on the property.

It will include a concession stand, kitchen and public restrooms, along with several other “multipurpose rooms that the public can rent and utilize,” township manager Chris Rearick said.

“I think the hope is to get it out to bid by this fall, with construction by late spring of next year,” Rearick said.

He also noted the project will be funded by a combination of grants through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and developer impact fees that are devoted to recreation and parks development.

For most developments, he said, those impact fees are $1,200 per equivalent dwelling unit.

“The township expanded the scope of the project because we found it would be cost efficient to include interior rooms and a community center rather than just simply a concession stand,” Rearick said.

The structure is part of a broader effort to enhance amenities at the park and support the recreational needs of the township’s growing population.

Officials are in the midst of updating Jackson Township’s comprehensive plan for the first time since 2017, with the hope of laying out a road map for the next decade.

“I’m hoping to have a draft by late this year with the adoption early next year,” Rearick said of the plan’s timeline.

He said it would also include an updated joint Parks, Recreation and Open Space Plan with Zelienople, Harmony and Evans City to efficiently provide the best quality recreation for all residents of the southwestern portion of the county.

Sippel Reservoir Park, which encompasses about 20 acres, currently houses two soccer fields, a playground, a 2-acre fishing pond and a paved loop that connects to a walking trail through Jackson Township's trail network.

It’s one of many prospective parks the township is attempting to develop, along with Porter Cove Park, the Swampoodle Property, which spans about 40 acres, and a newly acquired reservoir property from Evans City that features 130 acres.