A stormwater management system was recently installed on historic Soldiers Field in Mount Gretna.
Although some local residents interpreted the construction activity as the beginnings of a parking lot, that turned out to be not the case. Although a parking lot of sorts is currently being planned, it’s not coming to come to fruition anytime soon.
“There are plans for a small parking area years down the road,” Chautauqua Foundation vice chairman John Feather said in an interview with LebTown.
Feather said that stormwater management system is the first step to making the east end of Soldiers Field viable for usage, including parking for the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show.
The system will prevent quagmires like the one that trapped dozens of cars in the mud when a late Saturday afternoon downpour turned Soldiers Field into a muddy trap during the art show a few years back.
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Some trees also had to be taken down to create the retention basin, which will hold rainwater until it can be gradually discharged through a spillway.
“We have no intention of clear cutting,” said Feather, noting that the Chautauqua has in fact planted close to 100 trees throughout the area of Soldiers Field.
The stormwater management facility is mostly finished at this point, although some batting is still in place to prevent soil runoff while the grass grows in. Feather said that topsoil had to be added at some areas of the facility because most of the soil in the area is clay, and not conducive to growing anything.
When a relatively small (30 spots or so) parking lot is eventually built on Soldiers Field, it will be made primarily with permeable materials that would allow water to pass through it, rather than a typical blacktop parking, Feather said.
Will a majority of the field ever be paved? “That’s never going to happen,” said Feather. The Chautauqua Foundation, a 501(c)(3), took ownership of the 18.14-acre property in a $1 transaction earlier this year, transferring the parcel from the Pennsylvania Chautauqua in order to help with grant applications, which can oftentimes require the funds to be deposited directly with an accredited nonprofit.
Plans also include building a small pedestrian bridge over the nearby creek and restoring or marking walking paths, such as the right-of-way once used by the historic Mount Gretna narrow gauge line. These plans need to be revised and updated, and funding through grants is still yet to be secured. Feather noted that projected costs have likely increased substantially since estimates were first made.
Read More: When Robert Coleman’s two-foot railway snaked through the hills of Mount Gretna
The story of Soldiers Field began in 1884 when local philanthropist and corporate titan Robert H. Coleman invited the National Guard of Pennsylvania to train at his Gretna park. In 1885, the area became an official military encampment to train members of the Third Brigade of the National Guard. By 1887, more than 9,000 soldiers arrived at Soldiers Field, which then encompassed 120 acres.
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The Pennsylvania Chautauqua had purchased the property from Eastern Enterprises for nearly a million dollars in 2018, and a dedication ceremony was held the following year.
Read More: Legacy secured as Chautauqua dedicates historic Soldiers Field
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