A proposed park in the planning stages for Penn Township will be long-term in its development. It might possibly be done in steps over the next two decades.

But the planning has begun in the correct way, by getting township residents involved. By way of questionnaires and comments at meetings, the township has accepted suggestions about what the facility should offer to township residents.

Among the items most requested are various types of trails, basketball courts, a sledding area and picnic shelters. As reported in an article in last Sunday's Butler Eagle, the draft master plan for the park includes those items plus a pair of level, multi-use lawn areas, a sand volleyball court, a one-acre man-made pond, horseshoe pits and what has been referred to as a multigenerational playscape.

The playscape would feature play equipment for all ages, even exercise equipment for adults.

The township presumably will choose from four concept drawings, or a combination of some of them, that were presented at a meeting on April 30. Those drawings reflect the public input as well as the township's viewpoint in regard to what the park should be.

The completion of the concept drawings is by no means a sign that the planning is nearly done.

As Jim Feath, a landscape architect with HRG Engineers and project manager, noted, "As we move forward in the planning process, we will begin to asess costs for the development of what is likely to be a multimillion-dollar park."

The cost of what is envisioned spells out the fact that park development will not be a short-term venture, unless the township receives some unanticipated financial windfall.

As the funding situation currently stands, half of the funding for the facility would come from township funds while the remainder would be from a matching grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

The proposed park would encompass a 47.5-acre tract of township-owned land at the corner of Brownsdale and Three Degree roads. For those concerned about the environment, Feath said the goal is to be respectful to the natural features of the property.

Regardless of the path that future planning takes, it's important for township officials to ensure that residents remain actively involved.

From what's been said, the project will require a long-term commitment by residents as well as township leaders. It is to be hoped that the project will remain on a positive track, even as changes in township leadership in coming years take place.

Parks should be — and many parks are — sources of community pride and unity.

This one should be no different.