PV Park Collective Committee

Minutes of April 27^th Meeting

Pleasant Valley Park

I. Definitions/Attributes

A. 285 Contiguous Acres

B. Varied Topography

1) Hills

2) Valleys

3) Streams

4) Meadows

C. Has been surveyed and is signed for hunting.

D. Existing building: Maintenance Facility(?)

E. Pole buildings: Picnic pavilions

F. Stone retaining wall

G. Large landscape-type stones scattered about

H. Extensive plantings

II. Concerns

A. Access

1) Upper – unsafe (?)

Line of Sight

2) Lower

Needs developed

B. Council/Municipality

1) No definitive recommendation as yet.

2) Suggestions: gated access, permit entry, 3^rd-party lease

III. Funding

A. Existing Funds (Fee-in-Lieu)(Ed Straub to gather additional information)

1) Dollars earmarked: $7- 8,000 MUST be used within three (3) years of allocation.

B. Donation & Gifting Committee establishing dedicated fund for PV Park.

I. Timbering/Land Management

1) Approx. 100 acres secondary timber

2) Tony Quattro: Current timber valued between $18 and $20,000.

3) Develop hardwood forest for future timbering income.

J. State and/or Foundation Grant possibilities

1) Multiple Municipalities (Murrysville & Penn Twp.) increase chances of State funding.

2) Mellon, McKenna, Scafe, etc. Foundations possible sources for grants/gifts.

IV. Priorities

A. Parking Lot

1) Access/egress plus parking area

B. Trails

1) “How do you make a trail on steep slopes?” Follow the natural contour lines.

C. Campground

1) Boy Scouts, hunters, birders

V. Assignments

A. Walking tour of PV Park : Sunday, May 2^nd, 2PM

B. Ed Straub: Fee-in-Lieu information

C. Pia van de Venne: Liason w/ Park Commission

Conclusion: Meetings scheduled to be held 3^rd Monday each month. Next meeting May 17^th.

Ed Straub: Issues Concerning PV Park Property

• Providing safe access for whatever activities are available.
• Lack of any funds available now or in the foreseeable future for park improvements.
• Catch 22 – Lack of funds for improving access, security or improvements limits use of the property. Limited use of the property increases the possibility of future attempts to dispose of the property.
• Opposition to retaining PV Park by Parks & Recreation Commission and Administration.
• Access control which allows entrance for gas well operators and other approved uses, but prevents unwanted uses such as ATV riding, beer parties, etc.
• Preventing changes or improvements that are not part of overall park plan.
• Reducing/eliminating spread of invasive species such as multiflora roses.
• Keeping fields open if that is an objective by mowing or at least cutting back invasives and other pioneer shrubs.
• Preventing vehicles from driving over the dam for the upper pond. Damage has already been done to the top of the dam. Vehicles have been driving over the upper dam to bypass the dip on the entrance road.

What are some potential uses for the PV Park Property?

• Hiking in woods and open fields.
• Providing linkages as part of a Municipal-wide trail system.
• Observing flora and fauna that inhabit open spaces. We have very little open fields in other Municipal Parks.
• Bird watching.
• Trail bike riding.
• Sledding Hill.
• Hunting.
• Nature study in woods, fields and nice small stream containing minnows, crawfish, etc.
• Patches for use by gardeners.
• Site for leaf recycling center.
• Practice fields fo sport teams.
• Horseback riding.
• Cross-country skiing.
• Quiet isolation – If you hike up the small woodland stream where it meets Lyon’s Run, you will probably only hear the sounds of Nature unless a plane flies overhead.
• Soil conservation, water table maintenance..
• Kite flying
• Model airplane flying
• Picnics
• Fishing in ponds?
• Scout outings
• Leasing out fields for farming
• Farming history exhibit.
• Forest management practices

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