Land donation will expand Murrysville's Duff Park

Theo van de Venne didn't know it would take so long to give away a piece of land.

"It's not easy to donate property," particularly when there's a provision that it must remain in its natural state, he said with a laugh.

But he has kept plugging away to honor his wife's wishes to keep the 49 acres of land they wanted to donate green and undisturbed.

"My wife loves nature, and she thinks it shouldn't be developed," van de Venne said.

Murrysville council approved the subdivision -- the donated land is just part of a larger tract owned by the family -- and waived associated fees at its regular meeting this week. Afterward, council members gave Theo and Pia van de Venne a round of applause.

The Round Top Road property is being donated to the Westmoreland Land Trust, which will eventually turn it back over to Murrysville as a park addition. Westmoreland County will own the property in the interim.

The gift will provide for a much larger expansion of Murrysville's Duff Park.

"By donating it to the Westmoreland Land Trust, the Westmoreland Land Trust was able to obtain a matching grant," van de Venne told council this week.

As a result, the $166,000 received from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is being used to buy other properties adjacent to Duff Park, said Land Trust Chairman Chuck Duritsa. The trust is close to closing on a 9-acre parcel, he said.

The rules for receiving the state grant stipulate that the donated parcel and any others purchased with the money must remain as open, undeveloped space.

Land has been donated by a property owner only once before in the trust's four years of existence, Duritsa said.