Leechburg officials seek meeting to discuss possible park transfer
Leechburg officials want more information before they decide on taking partial ownership of another park.
Council members want an in-person meeting with officials from Gilpin, the Gilpin- Leechburg Joint Recreation Authority and Armstrong County Commissioners to talk about transferring the ownership of Gilpin/Leechburg Park from the county to the two communities.
Leechburg Councilman D.J. Zelczak said a letter will be sent out as soon as possible to request the meeting.
The park is owned by Armstrong County. On Jan. 26, county commissioners sent letters to Leechburg and Gilpin officials to gauge their interest in taking ownership of the park property.
Gilpin supervisors voted unanimously Feb. 14 to accept the park’s transfer. Leechburg officials didn’t publicly discuss the issue until their meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21.
Armstrong County leases the park to the Gilpin-Leechburg Joint Recreation Authority, which includes representatives of the county and both municipalities.
The nearly 24-acre park is in Gilpin but is used by residents of both municipalities.
The park features a playground, walking trails, a basketball court, three baseball fields, tennis courts and five covered pavilions.
The Leechburg Area Pool is a separate entity and not a part of the park. It is not included in the transfer.
A timeline on when the transfer might take place was not provided by the county commissioners.
Some Leechburg officials have issues
On Tuesday, Leechburg officials discussed the matter for more than an hour, with council members offering varying opinions on whether to assume ownership of the park with Gilpin.
Councilman Chuck Pascal was critical of Gilpin officials’ recent transfer approval.
“Apparently, you know, Gilpin supervisors make decisions without talking to anybody,” Pascal said.
Gilpin Supervisor Charles Stull responded to Pascal’s comments:
“They are welcome to be critical, but after much discussion at our meeting, we felt it was the right way to go. I don’t work for Leechburg Council. I work for the people of Gilpin Township,” Stull said. “I look forward to a future meeting of all officials to hash out the road ahead in hopes of a smooth transition to local control.”
Bob George of the joint recreation authority told Leechburg Council the authority met with the commissioners in January, but said the county expressed no interest in giving the park to the authority.
“I think what we would like to see is Leechburg and Gilpin meeting with the commissioners to do what is best for them,” said Leechburg resident Glenda Fryer. “You’d hate to see it (the park) go down the hill. We’ve worked hard to, you know, keep it up with the little funds that we do have. I think Leechburg and Gilpin want to do what is best for the park.”
Leechburg Council President Tom Foster said Armstrong County Commissioner Pat Fabian approached him after a meeting in Parks Township and told him the commissioners wanted to give Leechburg the park.
“I looked him straight in the face and told him: ‘No, we’re not gonna take it. Why would we want to take the monkey that you guys have. What are you doing for us?’ ”
Foster said the borough should write a letter to the county and tell them Leechburg isn’t interested.
“We feel the ownership should remain in their (Armstrong County) hands,” Foster said.
Said Pascal: “I don’t disagree that this park should remain in the ownership of the county. But I do disagree that if they are intent on transferring this park that this borough should not be involved in it.
“I do not think that it should just be owned by Gilpin, and they can do whatever they want to do without input from people from this borough.
“It’s always been a joint park from its inception, people from both Leechburg and Gilpin, and it should remain that way. I want to guarantee that the people of this borough get to use it.”
Leechburg Mayor Tony Roppolo added that both Leechburg and Gilpin personnel have worked together over the decades to make park improvements.
“I certainly would not like it to be taken away or see it get to the point where Leechburg personnel don’t have access to this facility given our historical involvement,” Roppolo said.
Zelczak said a meeting is required so Leechburg officials can clearly understand the county’s intentions.
“We also need to consider both short-term and long-term implications of such a move, as well as the economics and the cost benefit,” Zelczak said.
Representatives from the joint recreation authority were in attendance at Gilpin’s February meeting in support of the township taking possession of the park, Stull said.
“They were able to give further insight into the maintenance and potential liabilities to the township,” Stull said.
Leechburg Councilwoman Doreen Smeal referenced the name of the park as an indicator of her stance.
“I think it should be owned by Leechburg and Gilpin. It’s called Gilpin/Leechburg Park. However, I do think we need to sit down with the commissioners, Gilpin officials and the park authority and discuss civilly,” Smeal said.
County Commissioner Jason Renshaw said Wednesday the park transfer isn’t set in stone.
“We were seeing if there was any interest,” Renshaw said. “So, we will proceed with Gilpin and Leechburg and see if we can work something out. If it doesn’t work, the county can keep it.”
Renshaw said, when a municipality owns a park, it can simplify getting projects or grants approved and/or completed.
“We have it, they use it, and sometimes municipalities like it because it gets rid of some of the red tape,” Renshaw said. “This is your park, your hometown. We don’t need to own it, but we figured we would throw it (the transfer) out there.”
Renshaw said Gilpin’s speedy response shows a true interest.
“That type of response is what you dream of,” said Renshaw, adding he looks forward to meeting with Leechburg officials.
“That’s great we can talk with Leechburg. Anything that can help to make it work, we’re interested in.”
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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