More land being bought for Antrim Township park

Antrim Township supervisors voted Tuesday night to purchase more land for the Antrim Township Community Park.

Supervisors gave the go-ahead for Chairman Fred Young to sign any documents related to the purchase of about 66 acres adjacent to the Grant Shook Road park from the Buchanan family. The land is northwest of the park on the south side of the private Conococheague Lane.

The price is $7,469.71 an acre and the exact acreage is being determined by a surveyor, Brad Graham, township administrator, said.

The approximately $493,000 needed for the purchase will come from "tipping fees" the township receives from Waste Management's Mountainview Reclamation. Some of the money the landfill pays to the township can only be used for recreation, Young explained.

Closing may take place in January.

Supervisors called the purchase an investment for the future with no immediate plans to develop the land.

However, it could be used to expand the trail system through a heavily wooded area and provide new access from the current 135-acre upper park area to the Conococheague Creek and the 7-acre Martin's Mill Bridge Park. If a new route through the park is created to the covered bridge, East Weaver Road from Grant Shook Road to the creek could be closed to regular traffic, Graham said.

The land also could be used for additional athletic fields.

Graham noted a goal is to not impact Conococheague Lane, and residents of the dirt road were in the audience at the meeting.

Darwin Rosenberry said he and his family have spent a lot of happy hours at the park, but they are concerned about more people using their lane and noise from sporting events.

He said his family puts up with three-quarters of a mile of dirt and mud to enjoy the serenity and seclusion at the end of the lane.

"It's a private lane and we like it," added Tena Karinshak.

Supervisors said they would have no problem installing a buffer such as trees and doing what they can to keep people from accessing the playing fields from Conococheague Lane.

*** Other business ***

n Residents of a different township road that they want to become public property also attended the meeting. Some of the people who live on Moss Spring Avenue have been waiting for 10 years for developer Frank Plessinger to turn it over to the township.

In October, supervisors gave Plessinger until Nov. 29 to get the street ready to be dedicated to the township.

A lot of progress has been made including completing a short section of the street, installing a cul de sac and removing junk and equipment, according to Sylvia House, township zoning and code enforcement officer. The township still needs as-built drawing and some other paperwork.

Supervisors granted a 90-day extension, but hope to accept the deed of dedication as soon as the Jan. 14 meeting. Until the street is accepted by the township, it will be plowed by Plessinger's P&W Excavating.

"We're all fine with it because they've agreed to plow the street," one resident said, speaking for the group.

n Supervisors appointed Mike Buckley to a vacant auditor's position and he will be sworn in before the Jan. 6 reorganization meeting.