A proposal to convert 53 acres of vacant land that Ross owns along Cemetery Lane into a park containing a series of hiking and biking trails is beginning to take shape.
The Hollow Oak Land Trust has visited the site to determine its suitability for such a park, and developed a map outlining a possible trail system.
The executive director of the nonprofit conservation group based in Moon said the property is ideally suited for what is being proposed.
“Creating a nature park doesn't require much at all,” Sean Brady said. “Basically all that would be needed is a place to park vehicles and a bathroom facility of some sort.”
Much of the work to create the natural-surface trails that snake through the park could be done by volunteers, he said.
“Deer are usually the ones who establish the first trails,” he said. “They don't like to go up and down hills, so they make their way along the contours of the land. And that's exactly how to develop a sustainable woodlands trail in a park.
“You don't need a bulldozer to make them, they can be done by hand.”
Keeping the trails in good condition should require minimal effort, he said.
“Trees are going to fall, so now and then somebody will have to go out with a chainsaw to clear them,” he said. “And if the trails themselves are designed properly, they will allow rainwater to drain so they don't deteriorate.”
Ross Commissioner President Jeremy Shaffer, who proposed using the Cemetery Lane property for what he describes as “usable greenspace,” donated $3,000 from the stipend he receives from the township to pay for the mapping work Hollow Oak Land Trust conducted.
Shaffer said he got the idea of using the land for a park last year after he asked a summer intern to compile a list of parcels owned by the township.
“We ended up with nearly 40 properties ranging from a couple of hundred square feet to the 50-plus acres up near Cemetery Lane near the public works garage,” Shaffer said.
“From the road, the land looks like it's steep and unusable, but when I walked the property I found that it is really a valley that flattens out and would be a great place for trails.”
To create the park, Ross commissioners will have to pass a resolution that designates the property for such a purpose, which could happen this summer, Shaffer said.
The park would not have any playgrounds, ball fields or other traditional park amenities.
The site's terrain allows for an easy-to-navigate trail along the flat land running parallel to the tributary leading into Girty's Run, with more challenging trails along the steeper portions of the property, according to Shaffer.
“I'd like to see the easy trail along the creek become what I call ‘stroller friendly,' which means it would have to have a flat surface that maybe is covered with compacted limestone,” he said.
“Obviously that would cost some money, so it will probably have to be developed last. But if we can get some volunteers, the other trails could be done fairly quickly.”
Shaffer said he does not want to see money diverted from any other park projects in the township to create the new park.
“There are a number of grants out there specifically for developing trails, so we'll be pursuing them to try to cover the costs at the Cemetery Lane site,” he said.
As far as what to call a park located off a street named Cemetery, Shaffer said he would like to avoid linking the two monikers.
“Maybe we can have some sort of competition to give residents the opportunity to name the new park,” he said.
Tony LaRussa is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-772-6368 or tlarussa@tribweb.com.
