Allegheny Land Trust receives more grant funding toward acquisition of former Churchill Country Club

A conservation project to preserve the defunct Churchill Valley Country Club for public recreation and environmental education recently received a $300,000 grant.

Donations acquired within the past few months toward the green space project in Penn Hills and Churchill include $25,000 from the Sierra Club, $125,000 from the Colcom Foundation and $125,000 awarded by the Pittsburgh Foundation.

“The environmental programs are central to the foundation,” Colcom Foundation Vice President John Rohe said. “It isn’t a city park on a block with swings and seating. This is a place to get away, and you can observe nature in a reclamation process. It’s been over 10 years since the golf course was there, and it’s nature reclaiming itself.”

Allegheny Land Trust officials said the summer funds bring them closer to acquiring the $3 million, 148-acre property and having the dream come to fruition.

“We’re extremely excited about these most recent grants,” land trust President and CEO Chris Beichner said. “Not only do they get us that much closer to making the Churchill Valley Greenway a reality, they also demonstrate the collaboration required to make it happen.”

Funding for the project is coming through foundations, nonprofit organizations, public funding sources and more than $129,000 in contributions from individuals.

It had received a $500,000 grant through the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in November with the help of state Sen. Jay Costa.

The Allegheny Land Trust has raised a little more than $1.15 million toward the $3 million acquisition from Zokaites Properties LP. The Sewickley-based organization began eyeing the former country club property in May 2019 when it secured an exclusive contract with the property owner.

The former Churchill Valley Country Club, established in 1931, has been owned by Zokaites Properties since 2013, just months after it closed that January. The clubhouse was razed in 2016.

Beichner said grant requests of more than $2 million have been submitted to various funding sources, and discussions are underway with other foundations and potential corporate sponsors to close the gap.

Funding needs to be raised by next March .

Barbara Grover, chairwoman of the Huplits Wildlife Grants Committee of the Allegheny Group of the Sierra Club, believes the project will be a great benefit.

“We are pleased to be able to support this project with Huplits Wildlife Foundation grants in 2019 and 2020 because of it’s amazing potential as much-needed green space in a suburban setting providing unique opportunities for outdoor recreation for people of all abilities and backgrounds while permanently protecting important plant and animal habitat in an otherwise developed area,” Grover said.

Rohe said his foundation’s contribution is part of a four-year $125,000 matching grant, meaning the land trust could get another grant next year, provided it comes up with the $125,000 match.

“There’s tremendous community support here,” Rohe said. “Think of what’s being galvanized among the citizenry that people care about this. It suggests that people value this and it is a resource that will be appreciated.

“On so many levels, this is one of those things that are kind of important to the human spirit. Without this, a child can go through life and never know how nature functions and really understand the seasons.”

More information about the Churchill Valley project is available at alleghenylandtrust.org.