SHARON BICENTENNIAL PARK MASTER PLAN NARRATIVE AND MASTER SITE PLAN HHSDR ARCHITECTS / ENGINEERS 40 SHENANGO AVENUE SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA 16146-1502 SHARON ~ PITTSBURGH FINAL REPORT © JANUARY 31, 2009 #3520 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................2 Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................3 Site Information and Analysis .....................................................................................................5 Table 1 – Attributes of Bicentennial Park .........................................................................5 SP 1 – Site Plan of Bicentennial Park...................................................................... foldout Background Information and Data, and Needs Assessment........................................................6 Table 2 – The City Parks and Recreation System .............................................................7 Figure 1 – John Nolen’s Comprehensive Park and Parkway Plan the City.......................9 Existing Community Plans ..............................................................................................10 Table 3 – Public and Small Group Meetings...................................................................12 Activities and Facilities Analysis ..............................................................................................14 Table 4 – Priority of Needs and Uses at Bicentennial Park, by Phase ............................15 Design Considerations and Security Analysis...........................................................................16 Concept Plan and Cost Estimates ..............................................................................................17 Opinion of Probable Construction Cost......................................................................... 17a SP 2 – Proposed Site Master Plan of Bicentennial Park.......................................... foldout Operating Costs and Revenue....................................................................................................18 Observations and Conclusions...................................................................................................19 Appendices Summaries of Public and Small Group Meetings Photos of Bicentennial Park and surrounds Rendering of Proposed Entry Arch, as shown from Connelly Boulevard Resolution No. 114-08 approving the Master Site Plan Sharon Bicentennial Park Master Plan INTRODUCTION AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS On November 29, 2007, the City of Sharon commissioned HHSDR Architects/Engineers of Sharon & Pittsburgh, to complete a Master Plan for Bicentennial Park. Established in 1953, HHSDR has completed hundreds of facility and feasibility studies, and master plans for educational, municipal and private organizations throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The authors are: J. Greer Hayden, AIA, NCARB, PE and President John J. Carly, Site Planner and Associate Joseph A. Jendrasiak, RLA Frank Gargiulo The Master Plan was formally presented to City Council at its regular meeting on September 25, 2008, and was formally adopted by City Council at is regular meeting on November 13, 2008. The purpose of the Bicentennial Park Master Plan is to guide the City of Sharon as it considers reinvestment of resources into the Park. The Master Plan consists of two parts; this narrative report, and the site plan. The narrative report is organized to follow the requirements of the State Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR), which provided a grant to the City of Sharon (#BRC-TAG-13-206). The existing and proposed site plans are summarized on two separate pages in this report, but detailed plans are also presented on larger format paper for ease of review. The plans include the location of a sewer installation (completed in 2009) which occurred along the length of Bicentennial Park. This project was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnerships Program, Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and National Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation. The Plan could not have been completed without the assistance of the following: City of Sharon - Mayor, Council, Department Heads and Beautification Commission Connelly Manor - Residents and Staff Greater Sharon Associates Kurtanich Engineers & Associates, Hermitage Mercer County Conservation District Mercer County Regional Planning Commission Riverside Manor - Residents and Staff Sharon Recreation Commission Shenango River Watchers Shenango Valley Performing Arts Council In addition, several sources of information have been researched to obtain background information for this report, and they are cited in footnotes on the pages in which they are referenced. The recommendations provided in this report primarily focus on physical improvements to Bicentennial Park. However, several policy recommendations are also provided that, if implemented, would enhance the physical improvements and contribute to the Park’s quality. Sharon Bicentennial Park Master Plan 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Sharon Riverbank Park (as it was first named) was constructed as part of the South Flats Urban Renewal program implemented in 1975.1 The Park was dedicated as Bicentennial Park in 1976 as part of the City’s celebration of the nation’s 200th birthday. The 3.6 acre park is curvilinear, following the bend of the Shenango River’s north shore between Connelly Boulevard and Budd Street. Its width is defined by Riverside Drive (paved but now abandoned) and two separately- owned housing developments, all of which form the western boundary. One complex consists of two high-rise apartment buildings inhabited primarily by the elderly. The other consists of two low- rise structures rented by tenants of mixed ages. Two points of public access exist. A public walk intersects with the trail entering the Park from the north near the bridge carrying Connelly Boulevard over the Shenango River. At the south, a public walk intersects with the trail entering the Park near the bridge carrying Budd Street over the river. The Park does not have permanent vehicular access; Willow, Monroe, Sterling Ave. and South Main Street once linked Riverside Drive to Connelly. Today, these streets do not exist, have been abandoned, or were converted into driveways servicing the multi-family housing developments. During the public meetings held throughout 2008, the attendees’ suggestions followed five major themes. These are presented below, along with a summary of the recommendations for Bicentennial Park presented in detail herein. 1. Improve security – replace existing poles and lighting fixtures; install new poles and energy-efficient fixtures; repair or remove play structures; remove part of the pavilion and renovate the remaining portion; enhance physical accessibility. Policy recommendations include police department foot or bike patrols for the Park and greater downtown area. 2. Implement basic Park and riverbank improvements – replace existing benches; install new waste receptacles and dispensers for bags to collect pet droppings; replace and/or relocate walkways; open views to the river and improve access to it for fishing or viewing; plan for the potential location of a small comfort station. Policy recommendations include regularly-scheduled Park maintenance, perhaps by a private contractor. 3. River-focused improvements – selectively clear vistas looking into the river; plan and implement removal of non-native species along the river bank; install decks and fishing stations; plan for a footbridge linking to the footpath on the south side of the river; plan for the relocation of the Budd Street Canoe Launch on the south side to the Park side. 4. Lack of vehicular access – plan for implementation of one of two options to provide permanent parking; one would require a right-of-way into the Park, and the other would not. 5. Lack of identity – install entry arches at both points of access to the Park. Policy recommendations include marketing the walking trail system that exists downtown Sharon. 1 Project #PA R-394, contract #1, funded by the PA Department of Community Affairs. Sharon Bicentennial Park Master Plan 3 The following table summarizes the recommended Priority of Needs and Uses. Based on a series of public meetings, review of the planning studies, the team’s observations and discussions with the Beautification Commission, the recommendations are prioritized as follows with cost estimates included. Priority of Needs and Uses at Bicentennial Park, by Phase Phase Item and Explanation Costs River-focused improvements: Study both riverbanks for the identification and future removal of non-native species; selectively clear 1 $ 260,000 vistas looking into the river; install overlook areas and fishing platforms. 2 New lighting. $ 315,000 Trail and site improvements: Including widening it to 8 feet; basic Park improvements (replace existing benches, install new waste receptacles 3 and dispensers for pet dropping collection bags); new entry arches; $ 212,000 remove existing playground and other damaged structures and replace with a new recycled reinforced rubber chip play surface. Pavilion improvements: Remove part of the pavilion and ensure the 4 structural stability and physical accessibility of the remaining portion; $ 170,740