SLIPPERY ROCK — As the borough continues to develop with plans for a new hotel, an expanded Giant Eagle and new businesses, the park also continues to grow with new programs and plans for additional space.

Mary Messer, executive director of the Slippery Rock Parks and Recreation office, said Slippery Rock Community Park has a variety of programs for preschool age children through adults.

With an annual budget of $300,000, the park offers before- and after-school programs at three elementary schools where AmeriCorps workers help with activities. The art department at Slippery Rock University also works with the park to offer a ceramics class for children from grades three to 12. Soccer, basketball and flag football also are available.

"The new programs we are trying to initiate include an intermural program for high school students," Messer said.

The community park includes 65 acres, three baseball fields, two softball fields, a football field, a soccer field, three pavilions, a basketball court and an amphitheater.

This spring, the park will offer Ultimate Frisbee.

Messer said the hardest target market for the park is middle school aged students, who tend to gravitate toward playing video games. For middle school students who prefer the arts to athletics, a play is usually produced each year.

"Our goal is to increase our programming, offer a variety of programs, and see what's new out there," Messer said.

A vision for an expanded park system in the northwest region of Butler County has been laid out by representatives from five municipalities.

Brady Township, Slippery Rock Township, Worth Township, Slippery Rock and West Liberty came together more than a year ago to form the Northwest Butler County Multi-Municipal Comprehensive Plan.

Jesse Hines, code enforcement officer for Slippery Rock borough, has illustrated plans for park projects at monthly planning meetings throughout the year. The plan also identifies recreational needs in the area.

Amy Senopole of Mackin Engineering of Pittsburgh, who is the project manager, presented three different maps of park plans with drawings of potential projects. The drawings were presented in May 2009 at an open house at the Slippery Rock Township Building to get comments from residents.

Senopole also surveyed residents in each municipality to pinpoint what people want in a new park, and what resources they already use. An increase in safe and accessible walking trails was the biggest aspect of parks that people noted.

The purpose of the plan is to lay a framework that will give the parks a greater chance in acquiring funding in the future.

Messer said the regional parks plan is key to the growth of its programs.

"It expands our opportunity to receive grants," Messer said. "With the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Department of Community and Economic Development, they like to see a regional, comprehensive plan, and through that multi-municipality project, what we'd like to start establishing is working with other townships within the Slippery Rock community."

An example of the park working with other communities includes a digital photography class that will be offered at Worth Township.

Messer said she would like to see the development of more walking trails in the area, as requested through the surveys given out by the board, in the next five to 10 years with the help of state grants.

Another goal of the regional parks plan is to prevent duplication: Because the Harrisville Community Park is in the second phase of building a skate park, Slippery Rock Community Park will not offer one.

From the multi-municipal committee, Messer would like to create a new group that will meet quarterly to establish ideas and goals.

"We want to be able to offer more programming and to reach out to a larger target market because you never want to become stagnant," Messer said.

Messer is applying for an $8,000 grant from Butler County that would allow her to rebuild a playground near the Rotary pavilion that was torn down last year. The old playground was outdated.

"The nice thing with the regional plan is if Worth Township wants to apply for a grant, we can all work together and submit the grant application for them," Messer said.

With different municipalities in the area all working together to accelerate development of better programs, the regional park plan has promoted efficiency.

"Everybody was working on their own before," Messer said. "I don't think everyone was aware of how much parks and rec had to offer, and this way we can all work together."