Trail to connect Marshall, Cranberry
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David Pauloski of Cranberry walks Tuesday on the Marconi Trail, part of the trail network in Marshall.
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A new trail will allow people to walk from Marshall to Cranberry.
Marshall will receive a $240,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' Community Conservation Partnerships Program to develop the Brush Creek Trail.
The trail will link Allegheny Commons in Marshall and Commonwealth Drive in Cranberry. The grant will fund the construction of approximately 1.35 miles of trail. The multiyear project will involve trail development, handicapped access, landscaping and trail signs.
Marshall recreation director Heather Jerry said the trail will start at Knob Hill Park.
"People will walk from Ericson Drive, to where Knob hits Brush Creek Road," she said, adding that construction could begin in the spring. "We are patiently waiting for the DCNR contracts to arrive in March. Once they're signed and executed, we can begin construction, perhaps in May."
She said the project is to be complete by December 2015.
Ms. Jerry has applied for the grant every year for three years.
"The trail is part of our trail master plan that was created in 1995," she explained. "Over the years, the DCNR has continually revamped its grant system and prioritized it differently. Since one of the top priorities in the state is trails, a connector trail like this one must have rated highly in their minds."
Cranberry officials said they are thrilled with the prospect of the new trail and submitted a letter of support for the grant.
John Trant Jr., chief strategy officer for Cranberry, said, "We're very excited. It's a great project for Marshall Township and Cranberry Township and the entire area to create that connection. That trail is identified on our recently adopted bike and pedestrian plan. It's a good opportunity for intergovernmental cooperation to build trail connections across boundaries."
William Moul of the Brush Creek Watershed Association sees the trail as an opportunity to foster community cooperation as well.
"I think it's interesting that Marshall is building what's going to be a pretty nice trail system," Mr. Moul said. "I was involved in very early trail planning in the '90s in Marshall. We hired a consultant and laid out where we thought it would be good to have trails."
The nonprofit environmental group that works on stream cleanups, stream bank remediation, plantings along streams and stream protection has wanted this particular trail, which will run along the sanitary line in Marshall's industrial park.
"We raised some money for it, but nowhere near what we needed. So, we backed off a bit and decided to cooperate with Heather Jerry and Marshall Township, since they had bigger guns than we did, and it looks like that paid off," he said.
Trails have become trendy, Mr. Moul said. "In the suburbs, we've become kind of isolated from each other. Towns have sidewalks and people are used to being able to walk around from place to place, but it's hard in the suburbs to even find a safe place to ride a bike. People miss being able to walk to places."
He also said that there has been a resurgence of nature awareness.
"In the real estate listings, trails always come out as one of the top amenities people think are really important to have," he said. "It's great to see Marshall continuing to evolve and build [its] trail system."
Trails provide an interconnectedness that doesn't involve automobiles, Mr. Moul said.
"It's a way to experience something different than the inside of your house and get back in touch with nature," he said.
Association members will be working on the trail, said Mr. Moul, a software and automation consultant who has been a Marshall resident since 1970. He said he believes it will be good for residents from both communities to work together on the project.
Anyone interested in working on the trail can contact Mr. Moul: wmoul@acm.org .
First Published February 9, 2012 12:00 am
