BUTLER TWP — Plans to open Preston Park in late April are still on schedule, according to township commissioners.

Township resident Robert Carlberg, owner of Carlberg Forestry, updated the commissioners at Monday's meeting about the forestry work being done. He said the work necessary for making the park safe again has been completed.

Carlberg said work began in February to clean up storm salvage that had accumulated from multiple storms, since June of 2018.

“I had to assess how much damage was done to the tree and if it can survive,” Carlberg said. “We had trees broken and hanging over trails.”

Cheryl McNeill, township assistant manager, said some areas with heavy damage presented a risk to the public.

“The danger has been mitigated, but there's still cleanup,” McNeill said.

About 300 trees were marked with orange plastic ribbons even before one of the more serious ice storms in November.

Carlberg said if any removed trees had viable material, it was sold to help pay for the project. He said about 180 trees were deemed usable, which meant they could be turned into boards or other byproducts. He said 147 were deemed cull trees, which meant they had no use.

Carlberg said in completing the project, the township could be looking at about 10 years free of more removals with some exceptions,

Dave Zarnick said the commissioners are still looking at April 27 for a re-opening of the park, or possibly before that date.

“It's work that should have been done years ago,” Zarnick said. “We're proud of what was done out there.”

McNeill said there is still plenty of cleanup, and she hopes the township can rely on its frequent volunteers, including the Monday Morning Maintenance Crew.

“We've had over 8,000 hours of volunteer time over the past 8 years from the (Monday Maintenance Crew,)” McNeill said.

Zarnick said Boy Scouts and other organizations have always been active in volunteering in the past too.

“We're always looking for more volunteers,” Zarnick said.