MAYOR DEDICATES MAJOR NEW ADDITION TO CAPITAL AREA GREENBELT IN CITY’S UPTOWN
Harrisburg, PA – Mayor Stephen R. Reed today officially dedicated a major improvement project to the Capital Area Greenbelt which has been recently completed in the City’s Uptown.
Reed said the improvement project consisted of the construction of a ten-foot bituminous path running parallel with Industrial Road that spans from Harrisburg Area Community College’s (HACC) Public Safety Drive to the entrance of Wildwood Park. The new path now provides a safe passageway for persons pursuing recreational opportunities in the area such as bike riding, skate boarding, walking and jogging. An easement was granted by the Harrisburg Area Community College to allow the placement of the path.
The Mayor said the pathway is accompanied by extensive landscaping and tree-planting through the use of vegetation native to the area. Directional signage was included in the project. A picnic table, park benches and trash receptacles were also added as well as two brick cross walks. A natural buffer between the trail and Industrial Road has also been incorporated into the project consisting of grass with raised mound plantings.
Reed said the following vegetation was planted along the new path:
- 12 Hedge Maple trees
- 11 Cornelian Cherry trees
- 6 White Fringe trees
- 9 Common Witchhazel trees
- 8 Goldenrain trees
- 9 Purpleleaf Sand Cherry trees
- 18 Red Twig Dogwood shrubs
- 18 Winterberry shrubs
- 48 Compact Viburnum shrubs
- 68 New York Aster perennials
- 120 Magnus Coneflower perennials
- 110 Black-Eyed Susan perennials
Reed also said additional areas along the path have been seeded with wildflowers.
The project’s design work was financed through a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Community Conservation and Partnership Program grant and the actual work on the project was financed by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Enhancement grant. The project received a total of seven bids, with H. Edward Black and Associates having been selected to design the project and KIMBOB, Inc. having been selected to construct the project.
The total cost for the project was $267,534.57, with $73,089.57 going towards design, soil analysis and archaeological excavation and $194,445.00 going towards construction and construction inspection.
"We are delighted to today dedicate this new addition to the Capital Area Greenbelt," said Reed. "Both the new pathway and the lush vegetation that now surrounds it will serve to further enhance the quality of life and the environment for residents and visitors alike. All this promotes the greater use of bicycling and walking for a healthier community," Reed said.
The Capital Area Greenbelt is a series of connected recreational trails throughout the City of Harrisburg and several surrounding municipalities, totaling just over 20 miles, that are supported and maintained through a cooperative effort between those municipalities. The Capital Area Greenbelt Association (CAGA) is the non-profit organization that helps maintain and beautify the Capital Area Greenbelt and works on the premise that users of public lands should accept responsibility for those lands through the formation of partnerships with government land-managing agencies.
For more information on the new project or on the Capital Area Greenbelt itself, contact the City’s Department of Parks & Recreation at (717) 255-3020.
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