After debate, Whitehall Road Regional Park moves forward on refinancing, but questions remain
After more than 10 years of planning and restructuring, Centre Region residents could be one step closer to having a regional park.
In a contentious, and at times chaotic, virtual General Forum meeting Monday night, the Centre Region Council of Governments voted to retain Chris Gibbons of Concord Public Financial Advisors to explore borrowing options to complete Whitehall Road Regional Park, which faces $1.5 million in funding shortfalls.
As part of the motion, two refinancing options will be reviewed. The first is to refinance both parks loans at existing levels, approximately $7.4 million, which could potentially fix in interest rates for 10 years and significantly offset the rate risk. The second option is to borrow $9 million, which would level annual payments through 2032 and add nearly $1.6 million to the project.
But getting to that point wasn’t easy, and some municipal leaders still have questions about what comes next.
The 100-acre park, to be located between state Route 45 and Whitehall Road in Ferguson Township, was planned to have two artificial turf multipurpose fields with LED lights, two grass multipurpose fields, an all-ability and universally-accessible playground, parking, a walking path, restrooms and an all-season pavilion. But earlier this year, Centre Region Parks and Recreation Authority Executive Director Pamela Salokangas informed the COG that current funds couldn’t support every feature in the initial development phase.
The COG General Forum is comprised of leaders from State College Borough, Ferguson, College, Patton, Harris and Halfmoon townships, and a unanimous vote from the COG is needed to make changes to project financing.
In the weeks leading up to Monday night’s vote, Ferguson Township was adamant about not wanting to contribute more money to the project. Through discussions at Monday’s meeting, the township agreed to refinance, but the supervisors were still divided on the best route to take.
Ferguson Township Supervisor Laura Dininni questioned why an “obsolete” 10-year-old master plan is being used to make decisions. She added that the COG should set parameters, so members have more control over how funds are spent and what amenities are prioritized.
“We have yet to identify a mechanism by which we can control what the Authority does after we give them the money, and that is a huge problem,” Dininni said. “If that problem were solved, I guarantee you we would not be in this circular conversation right now. This would have been solved. These problems would have been worked out because the elected officials would actually be talking about it and informed about it and shaping the park that we want.”
College Township councilman Rich Francke clarified that the CRPR Authority, which is compromised of municipal representatives, makes decisions on how funds are spent, not the CRPR Agency, which has paid staff. Joe Viglione, COG finance director, added that refinancing creates a “blank slate” and gives the COG power to have authority on how funds are allocated.
“Make a decision on the projects, and the loan will do what you want it to do in terms of the projects and financing those projects,” Viglione said.
Project bids are set to expire at the end of the month, and Dininni expressed concern that the CRPR Authority would accept bids before the stipulations would take effect. As a possible solution, Peter Marshall, State College Borough councilman, said CRPR should ask the successful bidder to extend the bid for another month.
This would be the second time contract bids were extended, and COG Facilities Coordinator Lou Brungard said he didn’t think it would be a fair request.
“As far as the bids themselves, we would like to be able to prioritize and get you all a very reliable schedule so that we can also manage the financing options and give real-time information,” Brungard said. “The bids are the bids. There’s no negotiation beyond that; however, getting that work prioritized and scheduled would be our next effort.”
Brungard said pre-construction agreements would be awarded, so financial decisions and a timeline can be made.
No municipal representative said they wanted to stop progress on the park, and at least 70 participants joined the General Forum meeting; several residents offered public comment and expressed a desire to see the park move forward.
“It’s going to be the kids of the next generation in our community who deserve to have a park like this,” Amber Concepcion, a State College resident, said.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 5:13 PM.
