City hears Lebanon Valley Conservancy briefing; moves to seek state grant for Northwest Park playground

Abigail Harvey, executive director of the Lebanon Valley Conservancy, told the Lebanon City Council that the land trust had preserved just over 200 acres in the prior year and oversees more than 1,200 acres overall as it works toward a goal of 2,000 acres.

"At the end of last year, we were able to preserve just over 200 acres, bringing us closer to our goal of 2,000 by the end of this year. But we're just over 1,200 acres at this point," Harvey said.

The conservancy described how it works with private landowners to place conservation easements on property, conducts annual monitoring and partners on habitat and tree-planting projects. Anne Marie Buerkle, who spoke for the conservancy, said easements are tailored to each property and typically require a survey, ecological review and an appraisal before negotiations are completed.

"Every easement is written specifically for that property and those people," Buerkle said.

Conservancy speakers said recent local work included a 100-tree planting on a conserved parcel in partnership with Tri-County Conawaygo Creek Association, Penn State Agricultural and Environment (name as presented in the meeting) and the Master Watershed Stewards. The conservancy said it has personally planted over 5,000 trees and has about 150 members.

Council members and staff then discussed a separate agenda item: a proposed resolution authorizing the proper city officials to file a Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program grant application with the Commonwealth Financing Authority to fund improvements to the playground area at Northwest Park. Janelle Grow, community and economic development administrator for the city, described the grant and the project.

Grow said the maximum request the city may submit is $250,000 and that the program requires a 15% local match; at the program maximum a 15% match would be $37,500. The funding source for the grant program in the state application is the Marcellus Legacy Fund, she said. Grow also said the city expects to use Ealy Associates and state-contract vendors (CoStars) for planning and implementation if awarded.

"This particular grant request is for Northeast Park, and the maximum amount that we can request is $250,000. It's a 15% match of the total project cost," Grow said. (The council discussion identified Northeast Park as the current application target; the agenda text and later remarks also referenced Northwest Park playground improvements.)

Mayor (name not specified) and council members praised recent park and trail investments, noting playground replacements completed at several parks, upcoming projects such as a splash pad and a dog park, and renovated connections and bike lanes. Council members asked about prior applications and timing; staff said the city applied once before for the same program but did not receive funding and that responses for the current cycle were not yet known.

When members asked who would carry the resolution at the Monday meeting, a council member identified as Joe volunteered to take the resolution and another member offered a second; no final vote on the resolution was recorded in the transcript.

The conservancy plans a ribbon-cutting for Wanger Memorial (spelled in the meeting as Wanger/Wenger) and said phase 1 of Liberty Park would be complete before June, with a ceremony planned for June 6. Conservancy representatives asked to collaborate on future city green-space projects and noted volunteer and partnership roles for preserving habitat, including the Middle Creek Initiative for migratory tundra swans.

The council will consider the formal resolution and any required matching-fund commitments at its Monday meeting; the transcript contains no vote tally or final decision on the grant application.