In 2012, the Marcellus Legacy Fund was created to distribute
some of the shale impact fees resulting from Act 13.
The first grant round of the Greenways,
Trails and Recreation Programs was established last spring with proposals due
on July 31, 2013.
These grants are
limited to a maximum of $250,000 and usually require a 50% match by the local
community (for communities of less than 5000 people, a 20% match is required).
Pashek Associates helped the Borough of Fox Chapel submit an
application for a trail extension along Squaw Run, a steeply sloped, wooded
valley running between Fox Chapel Road and Dorseyville Road.
The stream winds down the valley and connects
five municipal parks.
The Borough
received a grant of $60,000 matched by public works in-kind services and
purchases of materials and engineering services.
The Borough hopes to construct a bike/ped
bridge adjacent to the road bridge near Hunt Road to allow safe trail access
to the Trillium Trail, Riding Meadow Park and eventually the Audubon
Society of Western Pennsylvania’s Beechwood Farms nature center.
This new trail extends walking opportunities
from the Allegheny River in O’Hara Township into Fox Chapel.
