Upper Gwynedd Township looks at the future of parks and rec sites

  A long-term plan that could help shape Upper Gwynedd for decades, is in the works.

Township officials saw a preview in mid-October on a draft parks and recreation plan addressing the town’s parks, pools, programs, and more.

“We’re nine-and-a-half months into an 11-month process,” said consultant Peter Simone.

In August 2021, Upper Gwynedd’s commissioners adopted a new comprehensive plan update, then tried to acquire a property on Allentown Road known as the ‘Martin Tract’ via eminent domain to develop it as a township park. That vote was ultimately tabled after the owner and nearby residents spoke out against the plan, and the commissioners approved a grant application in October 2022 seeking $1 million in state grant money to acquire that parcel. In fall 2023 the board approved a contract with an outside firm to update the town’s park-specific plans, which were last revised in the late 2000s.

During the commissioners meeting on Oct. 14, Simone showed a draft plan developed so far, via seven public meetings, over 500 responses to public surveys, interviews with nine key people or agencies, and public talks slated to wrap up in November. A committee of township volunteers and staff “really acted as our sounding board” in developing the plan, Simone told the board, providing info about the current conditions throughout the parks and what they’d like to see there.

“Our draft recommendations are broken down into several categories: one is planning studies. A comp rec plan takes a big-picture view, and there’s some more detailed studies that we think would be good to do in the next few years,” Simone said.

Pool complex tops list

Tops on that list is a detailed study of the Nor-Gwyn pool complex, located adjacent to the township’s Parkside Place offices, overseen by a joint board shared between Upper Gwynedd and neighboring North Wales, and run largely by volunteers.

    Nor Gwyn Pool Commission secretary Ginny Oldt stands next to the tot pool, which was being rebuilt along with its surrounding decking, in 2014. (MediaNews Group file photo)
  

“The pool is a cornerstone of the community, it’s sold out every year. The pool is old, and it’s only going to be able to be repaired for another 10 or so years. So it’s time now to start planning for its replacement,” he said. “The first step in that is do to a feasibility study-slash-master plan, on what that new pool will be. It’s something that we are suggesting you do sooner than later.”

Castle playground aging

Another iconic sight, the castle-shaped wooden Park-Sci playground built in the 1990s, is also nearing the age when township officials should consider its future lifespan, the consultant told the commissioners.

"When that was built, there was a lot of community participation, which is why people are so fond of that playground: because they helped build it. We think that's a great model," Simone said.

Rec building seen as need

Other areas of focus in the plan could include the recreational programs offered by the township's parks and recreation department, and the space needed for parks and recreation director Sarah Prebis to do so.

"One of the obstacles Sarah has is, she needs indoor recreational space. So one of the suggestions is to do another feasibility study for what we're calling a modest recreation building, that could be built perhaps here, maybe another location, so the township has indoor space to program the many things that you do all year round. We think this is critical," Simone said.

The plan could also spell out a concept for a veterans memorial in a park, and/or detailed improvements or fixes needed at various smaller parks and at the Parkside Place complex. The draft plan currently lists a mix of low-impact upgrades to various parks including added trails, ballfield restoration, added restrooms, and more trees where needed, while listed upgrades for Parkside could include permanent restrooms, more basketball and/or pickleball courts, new trails, paving a gravel parking lot, and adding Wi-Fi capability at pavilions for those who use them.

"They're relatively modest improvements, to increase use, to make these parks more sustainable: in some places, replacing lawn with meadows so you're not cutting grass, increasing absorption into the soil, pretty basic and modest improvements," Simone said.

The updated plan would also spell out the open space properties currently owned, but not actively maintained by the township, and possible ways to use them as naturalized areas. The Nor-Gwyn baseball complex "is really used on a handshake right now" between that league's leadership and township staff, Simone said, and a formal agreement could spell out the ways it's cared for, while the plan also could map parcels the township could look to acquire as open space.

Two trails running through the township have already been studied and documented, and a trail connectivity plan could show ways to add bike lanes and sidewalks between those two, and to connect to surrounding municipalities, Simone said.

The formal plan could also spell out maintenance and care responsibilities currently done by staff, some of whom have been with the township for decades: "A lot of the great stuff they do is in their head, so we want to encourage them and you to write it down, so not only the 'What to do' is known, but so is how to do it."

Priorities are pool and playground

Top priorities identified in the draft plan would be the detailed studies of the Nor-Gwyn complex and the Park Sci playground, to ID the work needed and possible grant funding to do so within the next few years.

    A child plays at the Park-Sci playground in Upper Gwynedd Tuesday, May 5, 2015. (MediaNews Group file photo)
  

"Once you have the plan, things happen," Simone said, such as grants or donations on top of annual budgets or borrowings: "You just don't know, until you have the plan."

Public comments on the draft plan can be submitted via the township's website, ahead of an internal committee meeting slated for Nov. 7 to review that feedback, ahead of a formal plan presentation slated for Dec. 4, the planner told the board.

Commissioner Liz McNaney added that she's been part of early talks with the Nor-Gwyn Baseball leadership and the North Penn School District about how to formalize their arrangements, for ongoing care and possible upgrades to their fields and facilities.

"It's a beautiful complex up there, so we're looking into it," she said.

Residents have questions

Several comments were made from residents questioning whether the plan was necessary, if it would study or document properties that aren't township-owned, and how much it would cost to do whatever the plan spells out.

"The up front cost is obvious, where we have to pay them to gather the information, disseminate it, present it like we heard tonight. The not-so-obvious cost is implementing the suggestions," said resident Carl Smith.

He asked whether the plan would address or include properties owned by other entities like the Wissahickon Trails nonprofit and the North Penn School District, and township Manager Sandra Brookley Zadell said the plan would specify between properties meant for active against passive recreation.

Linda Smith asked why the survey included in the park plan accepted input from nonresidents, and questioned whether roughly 500 total responses were enough from a township of roughly 16,000 residents, and if the plan should've been sent via paper mail instead of online.

"There are a lot of older residents that are not computer-savvy, and maybe you would have a much better response," Linda said.

    Baseball players run on to the field during the opening day ceremony for Nor-Gwyn baseball and softball in Upper Gwynedd Saturday April 21 2012. (MediaNews Group file photo)
  

Fred Hencken said he thought the township should also include the Nor-Gwyn ballfields and new snack stand in the plan, and McNaney said those upgrades were done before the township had begun to gather info for their plan. McNaney said she knew township programs that use ballfields other than those run by Nor-Gwyn, and commissioner Greg Moll said he knows of two fields that "need some work" but "are busy every night."

"What we're really lacking is fields where kids that aren't belonging to a travel team, kids that don't belong to a rec team with a scheduled practice, can go and have fun playing baseball or softball. When you go up to those fields, oftentimes they're booked. We would really benefit for the kids that just want to have a pickup game, or practice with their dad or their mom," Moll said.

Don Hammer said he's lived in the township for over 50 years, and appreciated "the family atmosphere: there's a warmth and a friendliness that you just don't encounter in other places," and said he was concerned about losing that at the pool, where his children competed for years.

"It's just a warm, friendly place, and it's run by volunteers. You can't find that in most communities. They've got paid people, and the paid people do not have the same attitude. I'd hate to see that evaporate, because we've become commercialized," he said.

McNaney said she has worked closely with the "absolutely amazing" volunteer leadership of that pool complex, and recalled an incident when township staff had no keys to access the pool, because those are kept by the volunteers despite being on township land.

"I don't think we really want to change anything with that pool, but I think what we want to do is make sure it's safe. And it's getting older too. We don't want to make it Dorney Park, or some big waterpark. We know what people like, we see it — the pool's just getting older," McNaney said.

    Cubby's Canine Castle Founder Sarah Winkelvoss launches her dog from a diving board into the water during the Second Annual Pooch Plunge at the Nor-Gwyn Pool in September 2012. (MediaNews Group file photo)
  

Mark Connelly said as a former marching band member, he grew up spending "quite a lot of time on football fields," and said he was glad to see the board "start the steps of formalizing the relationship a little bit more" with Nor-Gwyn and the school district, and said he hoped the board would use the plan to seek grants for the various projects. Sam Wampole siad he thought any park project should be vetted by those who live nearby first: "Replacing equipment is one thing, but to expand and make it larger is not something that neighbors want to see."

Pat Pino said she thought the board should keep taxpayers in mind, and find ways to pay for projects without tapping reserve funds.

"Over the years, Upper Gwynedd Township has not foolishly spent funds on unnecessary property acquisitions. The township open space inventory was accumulated through creative negotiations with landowners, developers, and nonprofit land preservation organizations. The township's fund balance can be used on far more important future needs," she said.

Upper Gwynedd's commissioners next meet at 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 and the parks and recreation advisory board next meets at 7 p.m. on Nov. 4, both at the township administration building, 1 Parkside Place. For more information visit www.UpperGwynedd.org.

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