SR votes to OK passive park
SLIPPERY ROCK — Borough council voted Tuesday night to keep a green space near Sassafras Drive and Kelly Road in the Poplar Forest housing development a passive park.
After exploring and discussing options, the borough agreed to take steps to toward making the area safe.
According to solicitor Rebecca Black, after researching the land and its deed, she said the council could choose between conveying the land to the development through the Butler County Common Pleas Court or keep the land and maintain it under borough ordinances.
“With the Court of Common Pleas route, you’d have to get it removed from the dedicated or donated property act, then you’d have to find another piece of property of the same acreage and value placed into the public domain as a public park,” she said.
Many Poplar Forest residents spoke at the meeting, concerned about how the property would be maintained for safety.
Allan Maust, who lives in the development, said dead trees are making the area unsafe.
“It’s a liability. It’s hazardous. We’ll even help you clean it up, get the trees out,” he said.
Jeff Campbell, council president, attested to the hazards in the passive park, and made a motion stating that the property would be kept as passive recreation, that hazardous dead trees would be removed, that work with an arborist would be pursued to beautify the space, and that it would be restricted to a walking area only.
The motion passed unanimously.
“I’d like to work on a liability clause so any volunteers that work on the property can sign it,” Campbell said. “This has gone on way too long and I know what everyone wants was with the best intentions.”
Council member Ron Steele said the next step is to identify tasks that need performed in the passive park.
“We need to get someone to pinpoint hazards and get the trees out and find out where we need other trees,” he said. “Let’s work together to get this moving.”
“Let’s make it safe, that’s my main concern,” Campbell said. “My main concern is we can’t have a piece of property that’s a liability.”
Maust said 21 volunteers were interested in helping to move the dead trees off of the property, and that they would continue contact with the borough to reach decisions.
“We want to work together with them,” he said.
