CRANBERRY TWP — Dave Blair, director of Parks and Recreation, has a passionate vision for the eventual Community Park North Project and, like all great journeys, it starts by taking that initial step.

“This is the first steps of a great endeavor,” Blair said. “This is something that is going to be impactful to our community, our residents and those around us.”

On Thursday, May 30, Blair presented supervisors with an update on the ongoing design and engineering for the Community Park North Project. Last year the board authorized the expansion project and it has already received more than $2.7 million in grant funds.

The community park, located on Ernie Mashuda Drive, first opened in 1962, and in 2005 the township purchased a 28-acre plot that will be used for the expansion.

And while it was estimated that groundbreaking on the project will not occur until next year, at the earliest, township manager Dan Santoro said the project is approaching a critical phase in the design process.

“There are environmental impact studies and permits that are required,” Santoro said. “And in order to continue the design process we are required to start paying fees with the DEP to continue the permitting process.”

The board voted unanimously to authorize $379,310 to go to the permits and fees for the project, as required by state environmental regulations and the county conservation district.

Blair, aided by a Power Point presentation, addressed supervisors with several design concepts for the project, including adding a multipurpose synthetic field.

“One thing that we’re missing within our community is a multipurpose synthetic field,” Blair said. “And this is an opportunity for our community to embark on an endeavor that we have not done yet.”

Santoro said the next step for the township is applying for the environmental permits from the state before a final design can be selected.