This is a detailed list of projects (PDF) funded by this year’s round of Keystone Historic Preservation Grants. The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission (PHMC) has awarded $2.58 million in Keystone Historic Preservation grants to help historical and heritage organizations, museums, and local governments in 21 counties. The commission awarded 48 grants selected from 101 […]
My Daily Commute
Riding my bicycle on the Hoodlebug Trail in Indiana County is beneficial in many ways. It provides me and many others equal opportunity recreational riding. I appreciate that anyone–regardless of physical condition, age, gender, or type of bike–can use the trail at their pace and feel they are in a safe place doing so. There is community value in being able to greet others on the trail doing activities that promote physical, mental, and emotional health.
Lifelong Memories
Having Vincentian allows us the opportunity to maintain the fields and grounds in terrific condition and is an overwhelming improvement to the quality of play. The fields are utilized every day throughout our spring and fall season and provide a tremendous sense of team-building and friendships for our youth and a true sense of community for our adults.
Prescription for Parks
I and many other Pittsburghers have been lucky enough to grow up with Frick Park in our backyards. As a child I spent nearly every day in the park walking and biking to school, exploring, and playing. I was astounded when I learned that Frick Park draws people in from all over the region and the world.
Our Meeting Place
Through a grant from the Keystone Fund, we were able to construct a new playground on higher ground. This means the playground can stay open year round, and also provides new, safer equipment. During the construction, kids in the park would come up to me and thank me for the new playground, saying they couldn’t wait for the grand opening. I received more positive feedback on the playground improvements than any other project I’ve been involved with, and mostly from our youngest residents!
Childhood Memories
Our mothers would cook their specialties at home and pack them in their baskets. Dads would bring the horseshoe posts and shoes, the baseball gear, volleyball net, and the badminton net, and set them up for all to play. The kids brought hula hoops, bikes, and bathing suits.
A Part of Our Lives
A Five Star Trail highlight for our family occurred when our son Regis did his Eagle Scout Project as a service to the Trail. Working with Malcolm Sias from Westmoreland County Parks, Regis planned and coordinated the building of two mini-pavilions at two different locations along the Five Star Trail with Scout Troop 405 from South Greensburg. The pavilions are large individual picnic tables protected by a shingled roof, and provide a place for trail users to rest beneath shelter from the sun or rain.
A Plethora of Activities
Just off Route 51, two miles north of Beaver Borough, is Bradys Run Park, the largest of the Beaver County parks. Situated within Brighton and Patterson Townships, Bradys Run Park’s 2,000-plus acres offer outdoor enthusiasts a plethora of recreational activities and venues. Bradys Run offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities: there are picnic shelters, athletic fields, tennis courts, an off-leash dog area, basketball courts, a skate park, a street hockey rink, a horse arena, a one-mile walking and jogging loop, 12 miles of trails, and playgrounds.
Wheeling to Washington
My trip along the Montour Trail was a rewarding experience. Friendly people, a remarkable camping trail accommodation–it makes a perfect getaway for anyone seeking some solitude outside of Pittsburgh. Once all the trail sections are completed, the Montour Trail will become one spectacular trail system that creates a large “C” skirting around the greater Pittsburgh area.
A Trail Built by Teamwork
When on the trail I feel the stresses of the day go away, reminding me of the practice of Shinrin-Yoku, or “forest immersion,” developed by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries as a sustainable, non-extractive way to derive benefit from the country’s forests. I feel a friendly connection with people I meet, and am amused by the occasional dog accompanying its family for a walk. In addition, I feel appreciation for what the trail and greenway mean to people who visit or enjoy them, or otherwise benefit from their presence, and for the remarkable teamwork that brought them into being and continues to expand them.
Economic Growth in a Trail Town
The trail brings visitors from all over the United States as well as all over the world. Many of these visitors are passing through Confluence, either riding the GAP or as part of a longer trip, including many who are riding coast to coast. The natural beauty as well as all the recreation opportunities of the region leads many of them to return. The GAP is one of the best ambassadors for the Laurel Highlands Region.
A Trail for All Seasons
No matter the season, the Three Rivers Heritage Trail hosts runners of all types and abilities. It isn’t the start line or the finish line, but the place where all the hard work and tenacity happens. On the trail, runners log their training miles and overcome their biggest obstacles.
Full of Surprises
South of Pittsburgh, Bear Run Nature Reserve is one of my favorite summer and early fall birding destinations in the Appalachian Mountains. Nestled in the Laurel Highlands, the 4,500-acre preserve has roughly 20 miles of trails that meander alongside several creeks and through hemlock groves, with scenic panoramas overlooking the Youghiogheny River.
An Invaluable Resource
The Ghost Town Trail proved to be an invaluable resource for my running partners and me as we trained for the 2016 Chicago Marathon. We utilized various sections of the trail based on our training plan requirements. For speed work, we started in Ebensburg and ran downhill to Nanty Glo. Short recovery runs on Ebensburg’s crushed gravel sections helped keep our legs healthy. For distance runs, we took advantage of the Vitondale station for parking and water stops. The heat, humidity, and dew point were a brutal mix for 20-mile runs; Vitondale’s resources were much appreciated.
A Distinctive Flora
The island hosts a unique floodplain hardwood forest which provides habitat for a distinctive flora, including several species the WPMC has found nowhere else, such as Calvatia rugosa, a golden yellow puffball. So far, the survey has identified about 75 species on the island, but we still add new species on every walk due to small variations in season and fruiting conditions. The real species count is likely much higher.
Uniting a Divided Town
After years of envisioning and planning, the acquisition of the rail line by the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation, and aligning broad-based community support, a breakthrough in Keystone funding occurred. This was coupled with many generous donors, businesses, local foundations, and our local government all coming together to ultimately catalyze implementation. My three young daughters, Gianna, Sophia, and Avila refer to it as “that fun road.” That joy they had the first time they used it is shared across all demographics, as this is a trail that has truly become owned by the greatest asset in our community: our residents.
Honoring a Community Visionary
The James W. McIntyre Hiking and Biking Trail is a 2.5-mile trail that winds through a 275-acre wooded tract of land that was donated to Indian Lake Borough by PBS Coals, Inc. The entire project was funded through both federal and state funding, which included grants for the construction costs from the Pennsylvania Transportation Enhancement Program and the Southern Alleghenies Regional Planning and Development Commission. Keystone Fund grants totaling $72,800 helped with construction and engineering costs.
From Tragedy to Beauty
Midway down the trail I take a break to view a train pulling oil tankers east on the mainline. Watching them cross over the Conemaugh Viaduct, I wonder how it must have looked during the tragic flood. The original viaduct was destroyed by the forces of the flood. The rushing water and debris temporarily dammed up here, until the viaduct gave way. Although it gave the water more strength, I wonder if it also allowed people in the floods path a few more minutes to escape. It is amazing how nature can destroy, and can also heal.
A Resource for Communities
The Panhandle Trail has had tremendous impact along its entire length. Not only do hundreds of people use it each day to walk, run, and ride, but communities have developed events and policies because of it. The Keystone Fund played a crucial role in making the trail a reality. I personally know of people who have moved to Collier and South Fayette just to be near the trail. It is a year-round resource, as the many cross country skiers will attest.
A Living Laboratory
I have been working with both undergraduate and graduate Duquesne University students at Wingfield Pines for 10 years. This on-site experience provides benefits for the students that can’t be replicated in a classroom setting: the spontaneity of an evolving ecosystem, of never knowing what might happen while walking from pond to pond. It’s a true example of the problem-solving style in science education.
