What’s next for Whitehall Road Regional Park? COG to consider funding options
The Centre Region Council of Governments is expected to vote next week on one of five options to finally move forward with plans for the Whitehall Road Regional Park.
Planning and restructuring for the regional park has been in the works for more than a decade. The 100-acre park, located between state Route 45 and Whitehall Road in Ferguson Township, went through its original master planning process in 2009 and was updated in 2013. As of March, the park was expected to contain 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. The options most recently presented, though, do not include the pavilion.
Over the past year, the project has hit snags. In February, the park faced $1.5 million in funding shortfalls.
Following a contentious debate in May, the Centre Region COG — comprised mainly of State College Borough and College, Ferguson, Harris and Patton townships — agreed to refinance pools and parks debt at a lower interest, allowing it to pass its savings on to Whitehall Road Regional Park.
In a special joint meeting Thursday of the Finance Committee, Parks Capital Committee, Facilities Committee, and Centre Region Parks and Recreation Authority, members heard an update on the bids that have been received for the long-awaited project. Five options were up for consideration ranging from dropping the project all together to a total cost of $7,351,247 million.
Before presenting the options in the Executive Committee meeting on Thursday, Lou Brungard, facilities coordinator for COG, encouraged the members to think about what the park means to the community.
“It’s more than just playing fields. It’s more than just a playground. It truly is a calm, tranquil opportunity for folks to come and just get away from the day to day stressors of life. And whether it’s to watch the sunrise and sunset, to see the changing colors in the fall, to watch that first snow covering. But to really just step back out of the busyness of life and have an opportunity to go sit and observe and just relax,” Brungard said.
Of the five options, the members voted, with three nays, to recommend option 2 at a total project cost of $6.9 million and release the additional funds for that option at the general forum meeting next week.
The recommended option removes some earthwork that was originally planned as well as some parking spaces. It includes a “significant amount of site work,” which would remove a practice field. It doesn’t include an irrigation system, so it would require additional staffing for manual irrigation operation, and because the scope of the work is reduced with this option, some additional funding would be allocated to refining the design — which is true of all options. As construction gets underway, it’s possible to continue to fundraise to offset additional costs and add amenities, such as irrigation.
It will require unanimous action from the general forum for additional funding, about $370,000.
Following the joint meeting, the Executive Committee held a special meeting where members voted to recommend option 2 to the general forum, with one — Ferguson Township — voting against it.
On the agenda for Thursday’s general forum meeting is a vote on option 2, as recommended by the committees. It will need a unanimous vote to move forward; if the vote fails, the project can proceed with option 3 at a total project cost of $6,534,577 without a further vote.
Option 3 is fully funded and further reduces parking, and does not include irrigation or synthetic turf and would also cut a practice field.
The general forum meeting is set for 4 p.m. Dec. 15 in a hybrid format, at the COG Building – General Forum Room, 2643 Gateway Drive, State College, and on Zoom.
