Funding for new path at Irwin Park appears imminent

Residents accustomed to walking along the asphalt path at Irwin Park — get ready for an upgrade.

The borough will receive a $135,000 Community Development Block Grant from Westmoreland County to replace the existing path, said Shari Martino, borough manager. The money also will be used to create rain gardens at the park and drainage to direct excess water into an unnamed tributary of Tinker’s Run.

Martino anticipates the borough will receive the money this summer.

The county is waiting for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which provides the funds for the block grant program, to release the money, said Jennifer Woodling, manager of the program for the county. Depending on when the money is released, the project might be delayed until next year, Woodling said.

The CDBG does require the municipality to provide 15% of the cost of the project, Woodling said. That typically means the municipality will pay for engineering and design, Woodling said.

In April 2020, council authorized former borough engineer Lucien Bove to apply for a $138,000 grant for the new walking path. In times of heavy rains, sections of the park off Pennsylvania Avenue will flood. Bove suggested a pipe might be installed underneath the trail to allow water to drain into the stream.

Approval of funding for a refurbished walking path, close to one-half mile in length, has been a long time coming.

Irwin tried to obtain funding for the project in previous years without any success. The borough was unable to land a $187,500 state Greenways, Trails and Recreation Grant, which required a 20% match from the community.

An attempt to get a Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant in 2018 also failed. That grant would have required Irwin to pay for 50% of the project cost.