Sharpsburg to form parks and recreation commission

Sharpsburg residents will soon have another way to influence the borough’s recreational offerings and opportunities.

Borough council is in the process of forming a parks and recreation commission, spearheaded by Councilwoman Carrie Tongarm and Councilman Peter Adams.

“I think we have a great opportunity to get more of our residents involved in the parks and the many opportunities we have to use the property of the borough,” Adams said.

They are co-sponsoring legislation for the commission’s formation, which is expected to be adopted in May.

Resumes and letters of interest for the volunteer positions on the commission are being accepted until then.

“The purpose of the commission is going to be to have a unified view with respect to all of our borough assets,” Tongarm said. “The parks, the gym, green spaces, things like that and help with making sure that access is fair. Making sure the parks are clean. Making sure that if people want to have activities (they) have a centralized place for people to go. A commission that sort of overlooks all of that so they can keep their eye holistically on what’s good for the borough and what isn’t.”

Council is looking to appoint between five to nine commission members at its May meeting.

“There’s been a lot of informal interest just generated by talking about it,” Tongarm said. “I’m kind of hoping that there’s people who are eager (to join).”

Preliminary plans indicate it will make recommendations to borough council, similar to a planning commission. Council would ultimately have to vote on any projects for its parks.

Recreation sites in the borough include Kennedy Park, Heinz Memorial Field, James Sharp Landing, Marion Gerardi Memorial Park and the Linden Gym.

Other the recreation commission also may have an impact on the Sharpsburg Senior Center and the Sharpsburg Community Garden next to the Sharpsburg Community Library.

Those interested in serving on the commission can call the borough office at 412-781-0546 or stop by the office at 1611 Main St. during normal business hours.