Butler Township briefs state official on recreational complex plan
BUTLER TWP — Richard Vilello hears about hundreds of projects in communities across Pennsylvania, but it’s not every day he learns about them in person.
On Wednesday, May 17, the Pennsylvania deputy secretary of community affairs and development traveled to the Butler Township municipal building, where he learned about the township’s ongoing creation of a recreational complex by Pullman Business Park.
Vilello told the officials who attended the meeting that he will have an easier time visualizing the project if he receives a support request in the coming years.
“It’s a great project,” Vilello said, “and being able to meet here and seeing it with members of my team, it makes it easier when we’re in Harrisburg and someone will call and say, ‘This is the Butler Township project.’ I can say, ‘Yeah I remember that meeting.’”
Butler Township is in the process of creating a recreation complex by Pullman Business Park. The first phase involves the installation of an artificial turf field near the Butler Transit Authority office that will come with soccer, lacrosse and football markings. There also will be a parking lot with 68 spaces, which Butler Township manager Tom Knights said is slated to contain four chargers for electric vehicles.
The plan also includes lighting for the area housed in phase one of the plan.
Knights said administrators spoke with Vilello about how funding from the state could be used to develop the recreation complex.
“Really what we wanted to do is provide an update based on the amount of commonwealth funding for the recreation complex at the Pullman property,” Knights said. “Look at what the peripheral impact is on the adjacent community.”
Included in the meeting were Butler Township commission president Dave Zarnick, county Commissioners Leslie Osche and Kevin Boozel, state Sen. Scott E. Hutchinson, R-21st, state Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, and members of Vilello’s team.
Zarnick said township officials try to frequently be in communication with representatives of the state to not only help fund projects, but create a network of people with different areas of expertise.
“Butler Township — we’re impressive,” Zarnick said. “We’re always looking for different avenues.”
Vilello said his position has given him many contacts in the development space that helps him help communities.
“Sometimes I’ll coordinate federal resources to a project, look at long-term planning and help solve problems,” Vilello said. “You always want to try to be part of making things better.”
He also said he works with community leaders on large-scale issues that need to be addressed immediately.
“When you look at volunteer firefighting and EMS, they have gone from 340,000 in the mid-70s down to 36,000 a few years ago,” Vilello said. “When you look at EMS, we are looking at some creative ways to look at ‘How do you do this on a bigger, more regional basis.’”
Vilello commended the township for developing an amenity that can be used by anyone, and added that speaking about it in person will help him push for aid at the state level.
“I encourage all of our people to be in the room at the table,” Vilello said. “Because it’s different than when you’re in an office in Harrisburg and looking at just a map or reading a scope of work — you don’t get the same feeling as when you’re actually here.”
