THE GREAT OUTDOORS PLAN Columbia County Comprehensive Recreation, Parks, Greenways and Open Space Plan 2007 THE GREAT OUTDOORS PLAN Columbia County Comprehensive Recreation, Parks, Greenways and Open Space Plan 2007 Prepared for: Columbia County, Pennsylvania Project Study Committee Larry L. Keller Edwin F. Lease Chuck Chapman Chuck Henry Keith Sanford Joe Price Alfred Hughes Rachel Swartwood Brian Johnson Kay Chapman Tim Murphy Chris Young Carol Morgan Bob Aungst, Director Columbia County Planning Commission Prepared by: Yost Strodoski Mears Toole Recreation Planning This project was financed in part by a grant from the Community Conservation Partnership Program, under the administration of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Recreation and Conservation TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction Plan Purpose and Goals...........................................................................................................1-1 Planning Process......................................................................................................................1-1 The Plan as a Guide.................................................................................................................1-2 Chapter 2: Community Profile Facts and Figures......................................................................................................................2-2 Recommendations..................................................................................................................2-10 Public Participation................................................................................................................2-10 Related Plans..........................................................................................................................2-13 Chapter 3: Parks & Recreation Facilities Parks Contribute to Quality of Life.........................................................................................3-1 Columbia County Park Assessment........................................................................................3-1 Configuration of Park Land.....................................................................................................3-5 Amount of Park Land..............................................................................................................3-8 Location of Parks.....................................................................................................................3-8 Connections Between Parks....................................................................................................3-9 Park and Recreation Facility Trends.......................................................................................3-9 Conditions of Park Land........................................................................................................3-10 Recommendations..................................................................................................................3-14 Chapter 4: Open Space, Greenways & Trails Natural Resources....................................................................................................................4-1 Greenways and Trails............................................................................................................4-12 Open Space.............................................................................................................................4-21 Recommendations..................................................................................................................4-26 Chapter 5: Recreation & Tourism Recreation Systems..................................................................................................................5-1 Public Needs and Interests.......................................................................................................5-1 Challenges of the Times..........................................................................................................5-2 Pennsylvania Recreation Plan 2004-2008...……………………………………………….5-5 Facility Preference for Improvement and Increase.................................................................5-6 Tourism.....................................................................................................................................5-7 Pennsylvania Heritage Tourism Study....................................................................................5-8 Center for Rural Pennsylvania Study on Economic Value of Resource Based Sports.........5-9 Recreation Analysis.................................................................................................................5-9 Conclusions and Recommendations.....................................................................................5-11 i Chapter 6: Organization & Management Organization and Management of Parks, Recreation, Trails, Greenways and Open Space in Columbia County.....................................................................................................................6-1 Management of Open Space, Greenway and Trail Planning.................................................6-1 Countywide Parks and Recreation Planning, Management and Operations.........................6-2 Municipal Recreation...............................................................................................................6-4 School Districts........................................................................................................................6-4 Conclusions of Open Space, Parks and Recreation Planning, Operations and Management Assessment...............................................................................................................................6-6 Recommendations....................................................................................................................6-8 Chapter 7: The Great Outdoors Benefits of Parks and Recreation............................................................................................7-2 Columbia County Goals and Objectives.................................................................................7-3 Goal 1........................................................................................................................................7-4 Goal 2........................................................................................................................................7-6 Goal 3........................................................................................................................................7-7 Goal 4........................................................................................................................................7-8 Goal 5......................................................................................................................................7-11 Chapter 8: Action Plan Goal 1........................................................................................................................................8-1 Goal 2........................................................................................................................................8-1 Goal 3........................................................................................................................................8-2 Goal 4........................................................................................................................................8-2 Goal 5........................................................................................................................................8-3 Appendix A - Capital Improvement Costs Appendix B – NAI Site Index by Township Appendix C – North Branch Trail Information Sheet Appendix D – Susquehanna Greenways Map Panel 8 (Columbia County) ii The Great Outdoors Plan, the Comprehensive Recreation, Parks, Greenways and Open Space Plan for Columbia County provides direction and strategies for the enhancement of parks, recreation services, greenways, trails, and open space throughout the County. The plan critically assesses the County’s existing parks, natural resources, open space, and landscape assets to create an action plan for the next decade. The Great Outdoor Plan provides a focus for the County and prioritizes initiatives that preserve the great outdoors that citizens value while providing expanded outdoor opportunities. The plan recognizes that not everything can be accomplished at once and that the County must work in partnership with its municipalities and others to achieve its goals. Plan Purpose and Goals The purpose of the Great Outdoor Plan is to guide the future of park and recreation activities in Columbia County. Parks, recreation facilities, and open space add to the quality of life of a locale and attract residents, businesses, and economic activity. Residents of Columbia County have shared their appreciation for the abundant open space, forests, streams, and parks within their County. Protecting and preserving these important assets requires a clear vision and a plan. The Great Outdoors Plan will provide direction and initiatives for protecting open space and natural resources, creating a connected County through trails and greenways, and improving and expanding recreation and park opportunities. The plan is an advisory document that serves as a long range planning tool for Columbia County. Planning Process Columbia County began this planning process in 2004. Together the Study Committee, Columbia County Planning Commission, community organizations, and citizens worked together to create this plan. The County retained a team of recreation planners and landscape architects to analyze Columbia County’s parks, open space, and recreation services and work with the Study Committee to develop a plan to improve services and protect open space and greenway corridors. The public participation process included meetings with the Study Committee, holding an interactive work forum with community organizations and stakeholders, holding work sessions with Planning Commission staff, and completing field reconnaissance. The public participation process and assessment of Columbia County’s parks, recreation, and open space produced key issues for consideration including the following: (cid:131) Establishing a land use planning program that balances growth and conservation. (cid:131) Establishing a program to protect and significant natural and cultural resources (cid:131) Creating and sustaining a network of greenways and trails to connect Columbia County. (cid:131) Continuing the farmland preservation program. (cid:131) Using open space, trail, park, and recreation planning as an economic development tool. (cid:131) Establishing a countywide system of parks and recreation. The Great Outdoors Plan - Columbia County Comprehensive Recreation, Parks, Greenways and Open Space Plan Chapter 1 - 1 The Plan as a Guide The Great Outdoors Plan will help to guide County decision-making regarding parks, open space, recreation programs, and their financing. The recommendations are not laws but instead reflect the direction in which Columbia County desires to move forward in enhancing the quality of life for its citizens. State funding programs are in place to provide grants for plan implementation. By adopting a plan that reflects public participation and sets forth a clear vision of the future, Columbia County will be able to undertake the actions recommended and seek the financial support of various grant programs and its residents. Uses of the Plan This plan serves as a reference document for overall County planning and management and collaboration with municipalities, organizations, agencies, and the private sector. The recommendations are based upon an investigative and educational process to identify initiatives and opportunities that are important to Columbia County. The plan is intended to be a living document that will play a role in the decisions the County makes about parks, recreation, financing, management, open space preservation, and related planning efforts. The plan may help Columbia County acquire future funding from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, federal grant programs, as well as, from local businesses and foundations. The plan should be reviewed annually prior to budget season. Through this review, accomplishments, needs, and emerging opportunities should be determined. Actions should be adapted to changing circumstances in Columbia County’s pursuit of the identified goals. Budgets should then be based on the formulation of an action plan for the upcoming fiscal year. This proves to be a sound way of targeting resources to identified needs. Additionally, the plan should be updated every ten (10) years as is recommended per the Municipalities Planning Code, Act of 1968, P.L. 805, No. 247 as reenacted and amended. The Great Outdoors Plan is to be adopted as an amendment to the Columbia County Comprehensive Plan, Phase I dated August 3, 1993, Phase II date August 5, 1994, and any future revisions or amendments of the County Comprehensive Plan. The Great Outdoors Plan - Columbia County Comprehensive Recreation, Parks, Greenways and Open Space Plan Chapter 1 - 2 Facts and Figures Background and Location History: Columbia County was formed from Northumberland County in March, 1813. In 1798, Joseph Hopkinson’s song, Hail Columbia, was sung for the first time in the Chestnut Street Theatre, Philadelphia, by a popular young actor. This song at once attained wide currency as a patriotic protest against the undiplomatic and highly reprehensible conduct of Citizen Adet, the French Minister, who addressed the citizens of the United States in a speech designed to incite them against their own government. As a result, the name Columbia became immensely popular as a poetic designation for America. This name is derived from Columbus, the Latinized form of Columbo, the Italian name of the great explorer. Columbia County is comprised of 33 municipalities. Location: Central Pennsylvania, bordered on the west by Lycoming, Montour, and Northumberland Counties; on the south and east by Schuylkill County; to the east by Luzerne County; and on the north by Sullivan County. Route 11 and 80 traverse the mid-area of the County and provide easy access from the east and west. (See Columbia County Map 2-1) Area: 489.94 square miles School Districts: Southern Columbia, Bloomsburg, Millville, Benton, Berwick, and Central Columbia School Districts. Government: Type: Commission form of government. Elected Officials: Three member Board of Commissioners, each serving a four-year term. Parks & Recreation: The Columbia County Planning Commission is responsible for the planning of parks and recreation for County. Columbia County has two parks: Twin Bridge County Park and Briar Creek Lake County Park. Population Statistics 2000 Population: 64,151, a 1.5% increase since 1990. Gender: 52% female and 48% male. Race/Ethnicity: 97.6% Caucasian, 0.8% African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.9% Latino Median Age: 40.1 years. Projections: 60,603 a decrease of 5.5%. Households and Housing Households: 24,915 Family Households: 16,564 (66.5% of the 24,915 households). In 1990, family households comprised 70.7 % of the total households. Persons per Household: 2.42, down from 2.68 in 1990. Owner Occupied Housing Units: 72.4%, a decrease from 73.5% in 1990. The Great Outdoors Plan - Columbia County Recreation, Parks, Greenway and Open Space Plan Chapter 2 -2 Median House Value: $87,300 compared with $54,800 in 1990. Socio-Economic Characteristics 1999 Median Income: Household: $34,094. Family: $41,398. Per Capita: $16,973. Poverty: 7.1% of families, less than Pennsylvania’s rate of 7.8%. Education: Among those 25 years and older, 80.6% have at least a high school diploma or higher. About 15.8% have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Employment: 23.7% in management; 25.4% in sales; 24.4% in production; 16.2% in service; 9.4% in construction; 0.9% in agriculture. Grandparents: In 318 households, the grandparents are responsible as caregivers. Growth Columbia County grew at less than half the rate (1.5%) of Pennsylvania as a whole (3.5%) in the 1990’s. The United States grew by 12.8 percent. Pennsylvania is one of the slowest growing states in the United States. Columbia County experienced growth most conspicuously in the Buckhorn area along Interstate 80. Population Trends It is important to note the United States Census Bureau considers any change of 2.5 percent or more significant. While the County grew at a rate of only 1.5 percent, it is important to look at trends within the municipalities and sections of the County. Comparisons among municipalities in Columbia County show a number of significant finding: The three Townships with the most growth in the 1990’s were Hemlock and Sugarloaf each at 21.2 percent and Jackson at 17.7 percent. Other Townships with double digit growth include: Benton (11.2%), Orange (10.1%) and Pine (10.3%). Municipalities with more than 2.5 percent increase include: Briar Creek Borough (5.7%), Locust Township (7.8%), North Centre Township (8%), Main Township (3.9%), Mount Pleasant Township (5.5%), Roaring Creek Township (3.6%), and South Centre Township (4.3%). Townships that grew at a non-significant rate include: Briar Creek (1.7%), Cleveland (0.7%), Fishing Creek (1.1%), Madison (1.6%), and Montour (1.3%). Seven of the eight Boroughs lost population. Centralia lost nearly all of its population due to the underground mine fires burning out of control. Catawissa lost about 5.6%, Benton 0.3%, and Orangeville 0.8%. The Town of Bloomsburg lost 0.5 percent. Millville Borough gained 2.3 percent. Interestingly, Millville has a very strong parks and recreation system. The community also has an active cadre of citizens involved in volunteering for parks and recreation. The community received a $40,000 DCNR grant for a playground for which the community raised the matching funds. DCNR and Penn State University also both developed case studies of Millville’s Parks and Recreation as a model for other small rural communities. Overall, 56 percent of the municipalities gained population while 44 percent lost population in the 1990’s in Columbia County. Most loss was seen in the Boroughs and their first ring suburbs. The Great Outdoors Plan - Columbia County Recreation, Parks, Greenway and Open Space Plan Chapter 2 -3 The population projections show continued growth. Through 2010, growth is projected at 24-percent followed by 10-percent growth in the following decade. Table 2-1 State, County, and Municipal Population 1990-2000 % Change 1990 2000 1990-2000 Pennsylvania 11,881,643 12,281,054 3.5% Columbia County 63,202 64,151 1.5% Beaver Township 928 885 -4.6 Benton Borough 958 955 -0.3 Benton Township 1,094 1,216 11.2 Berwick Borough 10,976 10,774 -1.8 Bloomsburg Town 12,439 12,375 -0.5 Briar Creek Borough 616 651 5.7 Briar Creek Township 3,010 3,061 1.7 Catawissa Borough 1,683 1,589 -5.6 Catawissa Township 1,037 944 -9.0 Centralia Borough 63 21 -66.7 Cleveland Township 997 1,004 0.7 Conygham Township 1,038 792 -23.7 Fishing Creek Township 1,378 1,393 1.1 Franklin Township 624 597 -4.3 Greenwood Township 1,972 1,932 -2.0 Hemlock Township 1,546 1,874 21.2 Jackson Township 508 598 17.7 Locust Township 1,308 1,410 7.8 Madison Township 1,565 1,590 1.6 Main Township 1,241 1,289 3.9 Mifflin Township 2,305 2,251 -2.3 Millville Borough 969 991 2.3 Montour Township 1,419 1,437 1.3 Mount Pleasant Township 1,383 1,459 5.5 North Centre Township 1,860 2,009 8.0 Orange Township 1,043 1,148 10.1 Orangeville Borough 504 500 -0.8 Pine Township 990 1,092 10.3 Roaring Creek Township 478 495 3.6 Scott Township 4,423 4,768 7.8 South Centre Township 1,891 1,972 4.3 Stillwater Borough 223 194 -13.0 Sugarloaf Township 730 885 21.2 Source: Penn State Data Center and U.S. Bureau of the Census 2000 Census The Great Outdoors Plan - Columbia County Recreation, Parks, Greenway and Open Space Plan Chapter 2 -4 Population Growth vs. Land Consumption A review of land use applications shows an average of 1,577 acres per year in land development for a total of 15,770 for a ten year period. Since the population of Columbia grew by 1.5 percent, this shows that land is being consumed at a faster rate than the population is growing. The average lot size increased from 4.44 acres in 2001 to 5.67 acres in 2003. Population spreading out instead of being developed within planned growth areas or through Conservation by Design methods causes sprawl. According to the U.S. Census of 2000, the population of Columbia County is 64,151. Columbia County experienced slow population growth from 1990 to 2000; the increase was not significant at 1.5 percent. Growth is expected to continue at a steady pace. The major change expected for Columbia County is the aging of its citizenry as the baby boomers head into retirement and life expectancy continues to increase. This will require an adjustment in recreation planning with a focus on clients of all ages, not just youth. Age As interests change throughout one’s lifetime, it is important to look at the age groupings in order to target services. Table 2-2 presents population by major age group changes between 1990 and 2000, as well as, comparisons with municipalities, the County and Pennsylvania. Trends show that proportionately, the younger age groups are decreasing, while the older age groups are increasing with the exception of the 20-44 groups, which dramatically decreased in the 1990’s. The median age increased from 34.1 in 1990 to 40.1 in 2000. The important age group of 25 to 44 years of age decreased from 27.6 percent in 1990 to 25.9 percent in 2000. This is the “Brain Drain” age group that is crucial to retaining in a community for economic vitality and growth. Children five and under decreased as a percentage of the population from 5.9 to 4.9 percent. Youth 18 and under decreased from 21.8 percent to 20.8 percent. People 65 years and older are fairly stable at 15.9 percent (15.8 percent in 1990). Table 2-2 Percent Population by Age Group 2000 Age Group According to Years 0- 5- 10- 15- 20- 25- 35- 45- 55- 60- 65- 75- Median Area 4 9 14 19 24 34 44 54 59 64 74 84 85+ Age Pennsylvania 5.9 6.7 7.0 6.9 6.1 12.7 15.9 13.9 5.0 4.2 7.9 5.8 1.9 38.0 Columbia County 4.9 5.7 6.3 8.8 9.3 11.5 14.4 13.5 5.2 4.4 8.0 6.1 1.8 40.1 Beaver Township 5.5 5.6 6.2 7.6 3.8 11.4 17.5 16.2 6.4 4.7 8.1 5.9 0.9 40.8 Benton Borough 6.7 6.4 7.6 8.0 7.4 11.7 14.6 13.5 4.3 4.5 8.8 5.5 0.9 36.5 Benton Township 4.9 6.1 7.0 6.6 3.8 11.8 18.2 15.4 5.5 4.9 9.9 4.5 1.5 40.8 Berwick Borough 5.5 6.9 6.8 6.1 5.4 12.6 14.5 11.9 5.5 4.1 8.6 9.1 3.0 39.5 Bloomsburg Town 3.3 3.4 3.5 18.6 29.0 10.4 8.2 7.6 2.6 2.4 4.8 4.5 1.7 22.4 Briar Creek Borough 5.1 6.5 5.5 6.0 5.8 13.8 12.4 11.7 4.8 4.6 9.5 8.8 5.5 41.2 Briar Creek Township 5.0 5.9 7.1 6.5 4.4 11.8 16.0 16.3 6.7 5.4 8.6 5.2 1.1 41.0 Catawissa Borough 6.9 7.2 6.0 6.5 5.6 12.9 14.0 12.8 4.0 3.7 9.8 8.8 1.9 38.5 Catawissa Township 4.3 5.2 7.3 5.1 2.9 10.6 17.6 19.4 7.1 4.8 8.4 6.0 1.4 43.4 Centralia Borough n/a n/a n/a 4.8 4.8 4.8 14.3 19.0 n/a 14.3 23.8 9.5 4.8 61.5 Cleveland Township 4.0 5.1 7.4 6.0 4.1 10.7 17.3 17.5 6.0 5.8 10.2 5.4 0.7 42.7 Conygham Township 4.5 6.4 5.7 5.8 4.3 11.4 16.0 14.5 5.8 5.4 10.7 7.8 1.5 42.7 Fishing Creek Township 5.2 6.3 6.7 6.2 4.0 12.5 16.9 15.2 7.5 5.1 7.8 5.5 1.1 40.8 The Great Outdoors Plan - Columbia County Recreation, Parks, Greenway and Open Space Plan Chapter 2 -5