Penn Township awards bid for Phase 2 of Harcrest Park
PENN TWP — The township awarded the bid for construction on the second phase of Harcrest Park to engineering firm Holbein, Inc. for $264,365.
The decision was made at the board of supervisors’ Tuesday, March 11, meeting.
According to township supervisor Samuel Ward, the second phase of the park consists mainly of infrastructure improvements, along with other additions.
The overall project will expand the preexisting park onto an adjacent 17.85-acre property the township purchased in 2021 from the Hartzel family.
“They basically are performing excavation, adding stormwater infrastructure, hydroseeding and other site work,” Ward said. “There will be new driveways and parking areas. One of the features out near Three Degree Road is a large oval walking trail. We’ll be planting trees near that. And in the future there’ll be another pavilion larger than the one we have now.”
With the addition from the former Hartzel property, Harcrest Park is 64.4 acres in size, and features a playground, pavilion and disc golf course.
While the bid was only awarded last week, conversations surrounding the second phase of Harcrest Park date back as early as November 2022, when the borough held a pre-design conference.
To assist in the construction effort, Penn Township was awarded a $300,000 grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The township board of supervisors voted during its meeting to apply for an additional $75,000 to tack onto that original grant.
Ward said a later phase of Harcrest Park, which he is calling “Phase 2B,” will feature more big-ticket additions.
“We will have a basketball court, a tennis court, three pickleball courts and more parking,” Ward said.
