Charlestown Township Parks & Recreation Board
Great Valley Middle School Library
Thursday, November 16, 2017

Present

Parks and Recreation:
Chris Lawrence and Karen Schlichter. Sue Staas, Marylou Forcine, Frank Beyer, Jim Quay, and Tim Hubbard were absent.
Additional Visitors and Volunteers:
Kevin Kuhn, Ester Underhill, Brian Schlorff, and Lisa Gardner.

Minutes for Approval

The October minutes were approved.

Old Business

There was no Old Business.

New Business

New Volunteers for Parks and Recreation Board

Mr. Lawrence has posted on Facebook and been spreading the need for volunteers by word of mouth. In preparation for next year, he believes there is a vacancy for Mr. Quay’s spot, and probably for Mrs. Assayag. He will contact Mrs. Csete to post this to the website. He suggested mentioning the need to people already volunteering in other Township clubs etc., since they are functioning in the manner already.

Great Valley Nature Center

Mr. Lawrence stated that the UMLY, GVNC board members, and the bank, are in discussion, plus a few other groups have surfaced to join in the conversation. Therefore, the concerned Citizens of GVNC are in a waiting pattern. This month he believes there is a real need for a grant writer. Vigorous fund raising, to pay down debt, is a hard sell when trying to attract other organizations to discuss partnerships.

Mr. Kuhn said he hopes the French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust comes into the picture in a bigger way. But since the GVNC board has not actually disbanded, all talks seem to have stalled. Both Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Kuhn believe a large scope organization needs to take over.

Charlestown Park Project

The weather has been wet, but next week the curbing should be done. The electric has been roughed in, and the drains for the sewer are installed.

Mr. Lawrence is still working with the Penn State Horticultural Society and the Penn State Extension. Three needs have been established for the Park.

  1. The landscaper needs to spread mulch since scout troops were unavailable.
  2. The tree mesh is too small for the trees, so Mr. Lawrence needs to order black tree cages to protect the trees from deer.

Ms. Armstrong, Ms. Gaspari, and another party, are interested in starting a local tree tender group. If so, one member would serve on the P&R Board, and also Penn State Horticultural Society would provide materials for the tender program.

PASC Report

Mr. Schlorff stated the season is over; their most successful season as far as membership is concerned with about 825 kids. He had four main items to discuss tonight.

  1. Field maintenance-they would like to perform top dressing and over-seeding. This would last about 5-7 years and cost the organization approximately $20,000. They want to start soon since the club begins again in April 2018. They made need fencing to protect the project.
  2. Rebound wall-They would like to build a 9’ vertical wall to simulate a goal near the snack stand.
  3. Update-They would like an update regarding the Park being a home to a future Township Office. Mr. Kuhn discussed the new township building study passed at the November Board Meeting that would be submitted by the architectural firm Kimmel Bogrette. They will undertake an investigation into facility needs for the Township. The main goal would be to identify needs and then apply location(s) for a “fit”. The programs within the Township, such as PASC would certainly be considered. On November 21st, there will be a meeting to discuss the first step. Mr. Kuhn estimates the study taking approximately one year, and then provided any action is taken from the study, it would take two more years to complete any project.
  4. Irrigation-They wanted to know if there were any plans for water in the area so that they could consider future irrigation of the playing fields. Mr. Kuhn stated that there was piping underground, but it may be less costly to drill a well. He suggested Mr. Schlorff contact Mr. Detorre.
  5. Mr. Schlorff is to contact Mrs. Csete. Mr. Kuhn invited Mr. Schlorff to come to the next Board Meeting in December. Mrs. Csete will add the PASC to the agenda.

PMYC Report

Mr. Lawrence said the club is winterizing since the season has ended.

Great Valley Mountain Biking Team

  1. Mr. Leary is moving ahead with the small changes to trails.
  2. Dirt near the pipeline was discussed, including the moving and or dumping on preserved area. Mr. Kuhn suggested Mr. Schlorff consider using the large amount of topsoil at this site as his material for PASC top dressing and over-seeding. Mr. Schlorff will talk to his contractor and also visit the Brightside Farm.

Healthy Kids Running Series

This item was removed from the agenda.

Trails Report

Mr. Lawrence stated that the reinforced areas, cut throughs, and posts, seem to be adequate.

Marileeceo Energy Company Acreage

Mr. Kuhn distributed a map of a 14.3 acre property labeled Marileeceo Energy Company. It contains a cell tower that has become legally unattached to the property itself, preventing the owner from collecting any rent. The owner has approached the Township to see if they are interested in buying it for $400,000 even though it is land locked (having no public access or ability to be used for a single family home).

Members discussed its proximity to various trails, but could not find a reason to recommend pursuing the purchase.

Scout Projects

Two Boy Scout troops are requesting projects from Mr. Lawrence. Below is a list of current ideas:

  1. Establish two benches on the wetlands overlook platform
  2. Establish two benches at the Community Gardens
  3. Level existing Pickering Trail benches
  4. Establish an information kiosk at Brightside Farm
  5. Tree signage

2018 Calendar

At Mrs. Csete’s request, Mr. Lawrence verified with attending Members that April 12th was an acceptable meeting date for April.

Adjournment

Adjourned at 8:45 p.m.