Park Update!

Hello Karl Gerdon Park Supporters and Community Members!

We have completed over 16 months of planning and design and are now ready to begin a tremendous transformation of Karl Gerdon Park in Venango, PA.

After initially securing over $723,000 from grants and donations, over $110,000 in-kind labor and equipment commitments, and opening bids from General Contractors yesterday, we have a much better idea of what it will take to build this park according to the design.

Over the past three years we have worked hard to accurately estimate costs throughout this period of inflation.

Below is a summary of where we are as of today.

$373,169 (lowest bid) - General Contractor costs to procure materials and build the park.

$304,113 (contracts in place) - Playground, Safety Surface, Restroom, Pavilion, Picnic Tables, Benches, Basketball Hoops, Pickleball Systems, Bike Rack, Trash Receptacle

$76,116 (estimate) - Parking asphalt, Sport Court asphalt, Trees (30), Landscaping, Site Restoration materials, Park Sign

$110,848 (estimate) - In-kind labor and equipment for site preparation, tree and stump removal, bulk excavation, all asphalt paving, landscaping and site restoration.

$97,500 (contract in place) - Engineering, Design, Permitting, Professional Fees

$30,000 (estimate) - River Access design, concrete pad, stairs, chute and handrailing.

   $991,746 (Total Project Cost)

-  $110,848 (In-Kind Labor)

= $880,898 (Cash needed)

-  $723,412 (Cash secured already)

= $157,486 (Cash we need to raise)

If you are able to help us build this park, without making cuts to the current design, and according to the vision outlined below, please consider making a pledge to donate this week. Donations of any amount will help. If an organization, business, family or individual donates $5,000 or more, your name(s) will have a permanent place, at the park, on the back of the Karl Gerdon Park sign (see attachment).

We are also looking for 30 tree sponsors ($500/tree). If you wish to donate, please email me your phone number and I will give you a call, or mail a check made payable to Venango Borough, P.O. Box 196, Venango, PA 16440. You can also donate online: Donate — Visit Venango PA. Every dollar supports the park! 

Please continue reading for a project progress update and renderings of your FUTURE KARL GERDON PARK.

The Design

Professional design was completed locally by Deiss & Halmi Engineering, Inc. of Edinboro, PA.

Construction and Post Construction Permits

Successfully obtained for stormwater management, erosion and sedimentation control, and water obstructions and encroachment for the river access improvements. Building permits will be obtained for the pavilion and restroom after stamped drawings are provided by the vendors.  

Site Preparation is nearly complete! 

In January, Tony Smith and his crew from LawnWerxs removed the old playground equipment, pavilion and chain link fence.  Next, Gary Nirmaier kindly donated 7 days of professional tree removal and clean-up. After Gary and his help were finished, all that remained were stumps. Several weeks later, Dennis Archacki and a team from Playing Surface Solutions (PSS) donated 3 days of work to pull out all of the stumps and haul materials off-site. A sincere thank goes to Tony, Gary, Dennis, PSS and all others who helped with this work. 

Playground, Pavilion and Restroom Renderings (attached)

The process of selecting these park amenities began as the Borough started applying for grants in 2021. Feedback from the community survey, public town hall meetings and input from the park planning and advisory committee, allowed the design team to work with park building professionals to select features that fit within the space, budget and suggestions from everyone (i.e. safe equipment with a lot to climb on and slide down, nature-themed, a restroom on-site, etc.). The pavilion is a steel structure which reduces the number of posts by half. This means less obstructions to walk around as people move into and out of the shelter. Without the presence of wood, maintenance will be reduced as well. Although the rendering does not show it, we have a vision to place stone pillars around each column with a capstone at about 40 inches high. Then, two duplexes on each of the north columns, all on separate circuits for crock pots, audio visual equipment, etc. Finally, there will be approximately twelve, 4-foot LED strip lights to illuminate the pavilion for meetings, training and events.

Lastly, the restroom is a fully concrete structure delivered on a tractor trailer and placed with a crane. The picture that I've attached does not reflect the actual colors. The walls will be sand beige and the doors, trim and roof will be nuss brown (see color chart).

Below is a tentative timeline. Ultimately, the general contractor will determine when the project is finished within the timeframe provided to them (May-October).

1. Restroom: May 20 - June 17

2. Pavilion: June 17 - June 21

3. Playground: April 29-May 3 (will be stored at Snider Recreation's warehouse until the site is ready)

Sport Courts

Karl Gerdon Park will feature two dedicated pickleball courts and a basketball court that will be ideal for playing full-court 3-on-3, 4-on-4, and even 5-on-5 for smaller folks. The playing surface will be the dimensions of a junior high court. These courts will be free of the traditional chain-link fence which will allow people to move on and off the courts more freely, while maintaining a more natural feel like the original Karl Gerdon Park court. There will be plenty of grass around the courts to slow down those errant shots. The courts will be finished professionally with blue and green acrylic surfaces and white lines.

Other Amenities

The park would not be complete without benches, picnic tables and a few more features. The benches and picnic tables will be sourced from Legacy Outdoor Furniture out of Cochranton, PA. The park will also feature a bike rack, concrete walkways linking all site features and improved asphalt parking with 32 parking spaces.

Fun on French Creek

Creek access improvements will include the addition of a set of stairs on each side of a central chute to assist with lifting kayaks and canoes out of French Creek as well as handrails placed on the path to the Creek. Both features will be designed and built locally by Craig Newell Welding, Inc. from Cambridge Springs, PA. The new stairs and chute will land on a concrete pad that will be a nice place to rest, enjoy a swim from, and welcome paddlers to Karl Gerdon Park.

The Trees

It was very difficult to watch many old maple trees felled at the site in January. Last summer, the design team worked with our local DCNR Service Forester to assess each tree for failure and target potentials. The trees that were saved are healthy and should withstand many more wind storms in our valley. To replace the 19 trees that were taken down, the design calls for the addition of 30 trees at the site. Some of these trees will be placed in the new rain gardens. Rain gardens will be the park's natural way to accommodate stormwater runoff that results from the addition of impermeable surfaces such as the parking areas, sport courts, pavilion roof, and concrete walkways. In addition to native trees, the rain gardens will be planted with wildflowers and grasses from Ernst Conservation Seeds located in Meadville, PA. The remaining green space will be seeded to grass with one landscaped area behind the fire department's garage.

New Sign

The current Karl Gerdon Park sign will be moved so it can welcome paddlers on French Creek. A new sign is being designed by Freedom Sign Company from Edinboro, PA. The back of the sign will include acknowledgement of major contributors to the project.

New Website

For more information on the project and exciting things going on in Venango, please visit: Visit Venango PA

Ways to Help

If you made it this far, thank you for working through the details. If you are able to help with the project, please let me know what you would like to do. We will need cash commitments (pledges will do) by May 3, so we can avoid cutting the scope of work. Below are three additional items that we need help with in the near future.

1. Someone willing to grind two remaining stumps at the site within 30 days.

2. Someone willing to build four stone pillars around the pavilion posts (materials provided) in August.

3. Someone willing to patch concrete blocks, mortar damaged joints and paint the sides and back of the fire department's garage (materials provided).

Thank you again for your patience throughout this four year process. I hope to see all of you at the park when we celebrate its completion.

Sincerely,

Jessica Graf

Council President

Borough of Venango

Crawford County, PA