Foundation debuts video for Preston Park
FRANKLIN TWP — The Friends of Preston Park Foundation showcased the Butler Township park’s 88 acres of space in a video presented at the Light up the Night dinner fundraiser held Friday at The Atrium in Prospect.
Preston Park includes unique vegetation, fields of prairie grass, ponds, abundant wildlife, two pedestrian bridges, an arboretum of different species of pine trees and several miles of trails.
Tony Stagno, executive director of the Friends of Preston Park Foundation, said the organization raises money to maintain the historic site and fund projects that arise.
“The mission is to preserve, protect and enhance Preston Park,” Stagno said. “We work with Butler Township, and they identify the projects, and we raise the funds.”
According to Stagno, about 130 people bought tickets to the event, and it garnered several sponsors that added to the amount of money raised through the dinner. Stagno said he did not have the total calculated as of Friday night.
The park was given to Butler Township by the Preston estate via memorandum in 2010. It was the site of the Preston’s laboratory, owned by Frank and Jane Preston since the 1930s. In December 2012, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as Preston Laboratories.
The Friends of Preston Park Foundation was founded in 2019.
Audray Muscatello-Yost, president of the foundation executive committee, said it formed to take care of the park.
“It is a magnificent piece of land,” Muscatello-Yost said. “While the donation of this beautiful land was a wonderful gift to the Butler community, the necessary resources to maintain it were not adequately covered by the Preston’s legacy.”
Jim Lokhaiser, a Butler Township Commissioner and member of the foundation executive committee, said the park is a valuable resource to the township.
“It’s very important to the township,” Lokhaiser said. “It’s our crown jewel, and we are going to do what we can to maintain and promote it.”
Stagno said many people are willing to be generous in donating to the park because of the respite it offers.
“All we have is a park,” Stagno said. “You can take your dog there, you can take your child there or you can go there to get away from your disabilities.”
Stagno said the upcoming projects at the park include dredging the lake to prevent future erosion, and installing “night-friendly sky lights.”
Additionally, some of the buildings at the park need work, which offered an opportunity for the foundation to increase their use, he said.
“We’re always concerned about the health of the grounds,” he said in a speech at the dinner. “Unfortunately, the buildings are starting to come into bad shape, and what we’re trying to do in the future is create a home for the Preston memorabilia.”
