DCNR grants to benefit recreation projects around county

More than $300,000 has been awarded to recreation and conservation projects in Crawford County by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR).

DCNR's Community Conservation Partnerships Program has awarded individual grants to the boroughs of Cambridge Springs and Cochranton as well as the French Creek Valley Conservancy.

Crawford County will also benefit from three other DCNR awards totaling nearly $500,000 for other projects covering multiple counties in northwest Pennsylvania.

The largest individual grant in the county was to Cambridge Springs for $122,500. It is for the first phase of rehabilitation of the borough's Cambridge Springs Recreation Park.

New playground equipment with a soft safety surface is to be installed in 2025 as well as Americans with Disabilities Act access at the park and improved parking, Delores Hale, the borough's mayor said.

The borough has already raised $122,500 in matching funds for the DCNR grant, Hale said. Total rehabilitation of the park, estimated at $1.2 million, will be completed in phases.

Last month, Cambridge Springs was awarded a $200,000 grant from Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Financing Authority for the project with no matching funds required.

The borough already has $445,000 toward the park project, Hale said.

Cochranton has been awarded $100,000 toward continued work at Cochranton Lions Community Park.

The grant will be used as part of a $200,000 project in 2025 to renovate and improve restrooms at the park and a historical display, Susan Armburger, borough manager said.

The $100,000 in matching funds for the DCNR grant will come from the borough, Cochranton Area Redevelopment Effort and other donations, Armburger said.

French Creek Valley Conservancy, based in Meadville, was awarded a $90,000 grant to coordinate and promote educational events and programming and conduct stewardship and volunteer activities in the French Creek Watershed.

Of the three multicounty grants benefiting Crawford County, the largest was $318,700 to the Oil Region Alliance of Business, Industry & Tourism. It will go toward managing the heritage area and heritage area initiatives in Crawford and Venango counties, developing historic resource planning documents for significant regional resources, and redesigning the community visitor center in Emlenton.

Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning & Development Commission was awarded $100,000 to coordinate and fund the 2025 Northwest Pennsylvania Greenways mini-grant program. The mini-grant program covers Clarion, Crawford, Erie, Forest, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango and Warren counties.

The Erie to Pittsburgh Trail Alliance Inc. was awarded $73,800 to coordinate and fund capacity building and the purchase of trail counters for the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail. The trail runs through Allegheny, Armstrong, Clarion, Crawford, Erie and Venango counties.