Jackson Township to use $250,000 grant to develop Wheatland Woods Park

Jackson Township received $250,000 from the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program to finish developing Wheatland Woods Park.

The money will go toward constructing basketball and pickleball areas and a paved walking trail. Mike Dunkle, a township supervisor and member of the recreation board, said this is the third year they applied for the grant.

They started on the park’s development with township funds last year. The scope of that first phase included putting in walking paths and an access drive, redoing the parking lot, adding perimeter fencing, and clearing and grubbing the area. It cost the municipality around $190,000.

Township officials previous said during public meetings that they’d have a better chance of receiving the funding if they put some of their own money toward the project first. Dunkle said the grant also tends to be awarded for recreation construction rather than the preparation of the site.

“We took it under the advice of the Greenways people,” he said. “They said they would be more into putting things in for recreation moreso than it would be for infrastructure, like parking lots.”

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, $250,000 is the maximum amount that can be awarded for a project, and municipalities must provide a 15% match for the total cost.

Wheatland Woods, unlike most parks in the township, is on the northern side of the municipality. Dunkle said it’s a fairly small park, less than 6 acres, but it will be a place for anybody to enjoy — whether that’s utilizing the courts, taking a walk, or sitting to enjoy nature.

The township approved a preliminary plan for the park, included below. Dunkle said they needed an approved plan to submit for the grant.

The lot is also close to the Kutztown Community Fire Company building, which has a playground and baseball field. The preliminary plan has a path from the park to the company, so visitors can easily access the company’s facilities.

“We’re very excited. I know I am,” Dunkle said. “We’ve been working on the Wheatland Woods project for a lot of years and talking about it, and it’s just nice that we can see this coming to fruition and people can start using the park for what it was actually there for.”

Township officials said at a January supervisors meeting that they plan to have the second phase of the project completed with the help of the grant funding in the spring or summer.