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Council approves Thompson Woods forest restoration plan; seeks implementation details
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Summary
State College Council accepted a Thompson Woods Forest Restoration Plan that lays out multiple options (including an aggressive option estimated at about $74,000), and asked staff and advisory committees to return with funding and CIP recommendations for implementation.
The State College Borough Council on April 6 accepted a Forest Restoration Plan for Thompson Woods and asked staff and regional partners to work out implementation and budget details.
Mike Bloom, assistant township manager for College Township, presented the plan and said consultants offered four options; "Option 1 being the most aggressive," Bloom said, and the option was described in the presentation as an approximately $74,000 effort to treat the whole property. Bloom said governance and advisory committees recommended a phased approach (Options 2 or 3) that balances restoration with neighborhood sensitivities and educational outreach.
Bloom said College Township, which owns most of the preserve, would shoulder the bulk of the cost under the intermunicipal formula (about an 84–85/15 split with the borough on preserve-wide efforts), and if a treatment is located entirely in College Township, that township would cover the cost. Council member Matt Herndon expressed support for preserving the preserve and said paying 15% would be reasonable for the borough.
Council moved to approve and accept the restoration plan; the motion was seconded and the council approved the plan. Staff and the governance committee will return with specific CIP and budget recommendations and an implementation timeline.
What happens next: staff will coordinate with the governance and advisory committees, arborist staff, and technical advisors and present funding options and recommended phasing to council as part of CIP development.
