Butler Township Park - Master Plan

Butler Township, Luzerne County, PA 

 

Design Dates: Spring 2009 to Spring 2010 

In 2009, Butler Township commissioned BIA to prepare a Master Site Development Plan for an 88-acre expansion of their Municipal Park complex in Drums, Pennsylvania. 

Formerly farmland, the Township was able to acquire the property with a Growing Greener grant funded by the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).  Following the park planning methodology recommended by DCNR, BIA Landscape Architects canvassed the public to identify the recreational needs of the Township's residents.  This involved several committee meetings, stakeholder interviews, public meetings, and several hundred surveys of residents and school students.

The resulting master plan, which was formally approved by the Township in 2010, proposes several new active and passive recreational amenities as well as a new pedestrian and vehicular circulation network that will alleviate congestion, improve pedestrian safety, and provide approximately two miles of new walking and biking trails. 

The proposed Great Lawn and band shell structure becomes a new focal point for the park, whereas a new Little League Complex and proposed Pool Complex provide new recreational features that meet the needs of the Township's growing population.  A new community garden, established in 2009, is proposed to expand to include additional agricultural fields and conservation areas that preserve and interpret the rural heritage of the community. 

BIA is currently working with the Township to help secure grant funding for the first phase of implementation  - the new ball fields complex.