When will Whitehall Road Regional Park open? Residents react to delays

Whitehall Road Regional Park’s highly-anticipated opening was originally slated for spring 2024. But, after more than a year’s worth of delays, area residents and some public officials are starting to express their frustrations and confusion with the project — even as one official hinted the park could again be nearing its grand opening.

According to Ben Estell, the director of the Centre Region Council of Governments, the park has just one last step before it can finally open — resubmitting a five-page stormwater report back to the township’s engineer for a final review and potential approval. Estell said that should take a few weeks to complete and, if it’s signed off, the park could technically open later that day.

Still, with no official opening date set, some residents living near Whitehall are feeling frustrated.

Ferguson Township residents David and Lou Taylor enjoy walking their dog Dottie through Haymarket Park, and have been looking forward to walking her at Whitehall too. But the many delays have prevented them from doing so.

“I’m really shocked that that park hasn’t opened yet,” Lou Taylor said. “We’ve been by it a couple of times and it seems like such a big, beautiful park with lots of stuff to do. It’s just crazy to me that after a year it still isn’t up and running.”

Her husband feels similarly, and believes that when the park does eventually open, it will be “a really great addition to the community.”

Lexi Gin, a Penn State women’s volleyball student-athlete living at The Yards — the apartment complex located directly adjacent to the park — also believes that it would be a great addition to the area, but admitted that the delays with its opening were “really disappointing to hear about.”

Gin’s opinions on the park were shared by Jayden Bolger, another resident of The Yards who before being informed about the park and its delays, had no prior knowledge of its existence.

“I’ve seen some of the construction they’ve been doing back there and, I mean, it seems like a big enough park — it stinks that it isn’t complete yet, though, because it sounds like they’ve got some cool stuff there,” Bolger said.

On the local government side of things, Centre Region Parks and Recreation Authority Chair Kathy Matason also vented her frustrations with the park’s opening delays at the authority’s meeting last Friday. She has urged the members of the authority to take public action if the park isn’t open, or an opening day hasn’t been set, by the group’s next meeting in July.

“I just want us to speak out and let the public know that we’re not really satisfied to just sit here and watch this very slow process. It has to get done,” Matason said. “We’re hoping for the best (with the review) because on a beautiful day like today, we ought to be out on those fields. People ought to be out there walking on the trails and enjoying those amenities out there.”

She continued, saying that it was “heartbreaking” that such a “fabulous facility” remains sitting, unopened.

While many residents and public officials shared their negative thoughts about the delays, Megan Hill, a Ferguson Township mom who frequents Orchard Park with her child, offered a more-optimistic outlook. She said that the setbacks could be worth it if the end product turns out better.

“I know that the delays are frustrating, but with the way that (CRCOG) has been talking, it seems like this park is going to be a really amazing recreation area,” Hill said. “I think if and when it does eventually come, it’s really going to add a lot to this area.”

The most recent delays stem from issues last fall related to a lack of stormwater as-built documentation. Further issues were outlined on the five-page stormwater report containing comments on all errors seen during an inspection — errors that have since been fixed, but still need to be reviewed.

Regardless of when the park opens through, updates on its status will continue to be shared at future CRCOG general forum meetings, which take place at 7 p.m. on the fourth Monday of each month. Updates may also be shared on CRPR’s Facebook page.

This story was originally published June 27, 2025 at 6:30 AM.